COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES CONCLUDES TENTH SESSION
Adopts Concluding Observations and Recommendations on Reports of Austria, Australia and El Salvador
13 September 2013
The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities this
afternoon concluded its tenth session, and adopted its concluding
observations and recommendations on the reports of Austria, Australia
and El Salvador.
Closing the session, Maria Soledad Cisternas
Reyes, Committee Chairperson, summarized the work accomplished by the
Committee during the week, which included a review of the reports of
Austria, Australia and El Salvador, and the adoption of lists of issues
on the initial reports of Azerbaijan, Costa Rica and Sweden, which would
be examined in future sessions.
The Chairperson said that
during the session the Committee had held constructive dialogues, had
adopted concluding observations, issued opinions with respect to
individual communications under the Optional Protocol, and produced
initial drafts on comments on Articles 12 and 9 of the Convention.
Furthermore, the Working Groups on women with disabilities and on the
participation of civil society had also had productive meetings. The
Committee had prepared a declaration that was loyal to the principles of
transparency and democracy, to be published soon. In addition, the
Committee was actively involved in the treaty body strengthening
procedures as well as playing an active role in several other programmes
and initiatives. The Chairperson paid tribute to all of the Committee
Members, who worked hard and took their responsibilities very
seriously. She said that all Experts had learnt a great deal from the
Committee’s deliberations and discussions. One of the issues the
Committee should consider next was how to approach its work during the
inter-sessional periods.
The following non-governmental
organizations also took the floor during the closing meeting,:
International Disability Alliance, Disability Council International, and
the National Observatory on the condition of persons with
disabilities.
The tenth session was opened with an address
by Craig Mokhiber, Chief of the Development and Economic and Social
Issues Branch at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Maria Soledad Cisternas Reyes, Chairperson of the Committee, presented
an update on activities recently undertaken by the Committee. During
the session, the Committee also held a meeting with States parties to
the Convention in which it discussed the process of strengthening the
treaty bodies, the accessibility of the Committee and the promotion of
the Convention by States Parties.
The concluding observations and recommendations on the reports of Austria, Australia and El Salvador will be available on the Committee’s webpage from earlier next week.
The eleventh session of the Committee will be held from 31 March to 11
April 2014 at the Palais Wilson in Geneva, when the Committee will
consider the reports of Azerbaijan, Costa Rica and Sweden.
Source: News&Media