Welcome to the United Nations
As the United Nations celebrates its 75th anniversary, this discussion forum aims at commemorating the 25th anniversary of the World Summit for Social Development and contributing to the theme of the 58th session of the Commission for Social Development (CSocD58) from a disability perspective.
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities recognizes the right of persons with disabilities to adequate housing and their right to social protection (article 28). The Convention has been adopted in 2006 and ratified by 180 countries, which has triggered actions at the national level to protect these rights and promote adequate housing and social protection for persons with disabilities. In 2015, the UN Member States adopted the Sustainable Development Goals which call for access for all to affordable housing and implementation of appropriate social protections systems for all, including persons with disabilities (Goals 11 and 1).
But persons with disabilities remain largely invisible in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of these commitments. Lack of reliable and timely data, evidence and research on persons with disabilities continue to pose challenges to the inclusion of persons with disabilities and the full implementation of Sustainable Development Goals, including Goals 1 and 11.
Recognizing this gap, the UN General Assembly requested a flagship report reflecting on progress towards persons with disabilities vis-à-vis the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and internationally agreed development goals. This report, the ‘Disability and Development | 2018 - Realizing the SDGs by, for and with persons with disabilities’, was released in December 2018 and it is the first report on disability inclusion in the context of the SDGs, including SDGs 1 and 11.
The report shows that despite the progress made in recent years, persons with disabilities continue to face numerous barriers to access affordable and adequate housing and a disproportionate number of persons with disabilities are homeless. They face many barriers that prevent them from enjoying their right to adequate housing, including higher levels poverty, lack of access to employment, discrimination and lack of support for independent living.
UNDESA in collaboration with UN Habitat, New York City Department of Social Services and the World Blind Union organized a Discussion Forum during the CSocD58 at UN Headquarters in New York on 12 February 2020, to debate the situation of persons with disabilities vis-à-vis SDG 1 and 11, as well as article 28 of the CRPD and showcase good practices to be taken for the achievement of affordable and adequate housing and social protection systems for all persons with disabilities to address homelessness. The Forum included presentations by UN agencies, national and local governments and civil society, followed by an interactive discussion.
The discussions at this Forum drew on the findings of the UN Disability and Development Report 2018 and other relevant work of the UN system, government and civil society. The focus will be on exploring the next steps to address the current challenges and build on opportunities for the UN and other stakeholders. This event will also discuss next steps for building better evidence to inform policy making.
