Statement by Václav Bálek, President of the Human Rights Council, on the occasion of World Down Syndrome Day

Tuesday, 21 March 2023
at 15h00 in Room XXV of the Palais des Nations
Geneva

Dear friends and colleagues,

The United Nations Human Rights Council helps protect people's rights. Countries come together in the Council to talk about how we are working on human rights. We want all people know about their rights and how to use them.

We make sure that all people can use their rights and we check what governments do to make it happen.

We also:

• make sure that all people understand their rights;
• make sure that all people have the same rights;
• check if governments do what they agreed on at the United Nations; and
• help people whose rights were taken away.

Since the beginning, the Council has worked on the rights of people with disabilities. The Council has some agreements on what governments should do to make sure that persons with disabilities can use their rights. We call those agreements “resolutions”.

In those resolutions, we ask the UN agency working on human rights to write reports on what to do to improve the lives of people with disabilities. When they prepare these reports, they publish it on the website so people with disabilities and their organizations can share their opinions, ideas, and experiences.

We have many of these reports that can help governments make sure people with disabilities are treated fairly in work, school, courts, sport and physical activity, and in all areas of their lives. The reports also talk about the support that people with disabilities should get in their communities and how they should be included in making decisions about themselves and their communities.

We have a debate each year where we talk about these reports with experts, including people with disabilities.

Some years ago, the Council also started working with an expert on the rights of people with disabilities, the Special Rapporteur. The first expert was a woman with a disability, Ms. Catalina Devandas, and a few years ago a new expert arrived, Mr. Gerard Quinn. The expert writes reports on how to improve the lives of people with disabilities in all areas of their lives. He also visits countries to check how persons with disabilities are being treated. He then shares with the Council what he found in those countries, and we talk about it.

When we talk about any of the reports about the rights of people with disabilities, we invite organizations and individuals to share their ideas and opinions. People with disabilities can also watch the meetings and participate in groups working to help people with disabilities.

We have been working on making sure everything is easy for people with disabilities to use and take part in the Council’s activities. But, we can still do more, and we are working on it.

Lots of people and groups are helping to make things better for people with disabilities, and by working together we can make sure they have the same rights as everyone else. By working together, we can help to make sure that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else, and that they are treated fairly and with respect.

Thank you.