Statement by: Canadian Mission to the UN 
As delivered

Thank you, Mr Chair. I have the honour to speak on behalf of Australia, Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, and my own country Canada. Our delegations welcome the successful adoption of this important resolution by consensus. We would like to thank New Zealand and Mexico for their diligent co-facilitation of this resolution.

The focus this year on addressing the protection and safety of persons with disabilities in humanitarian settings is incredibly warranted, particularly given the significant challenges and barriers that persons with disabilities can often face in those situations.

We are pleased to see that the text highlights critical elements addressing the protection, safety, and inclusion in situations of humanitarian emergencies, disasters, and armed conflict, in-line with Article 11 of the Convention. It is critical that we recognise the importance of ensuring inclusive participation of persons with disabilities in decision-making processes relating to disaster risk reduction, humanitarian action, conflict prevention, reconciliation, and reconstruction.

As persons with disabilities often say, 'nothing about us, without us', and it's great that this honours that.

In particular, we would welcome this resolution's recognition of multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and the tangible impact that this has on the ability of all persons with disabilities, including women and girls and Indigenous individuals with disabilities to enjoy their human rights on an equal basis with others.

Persons with disabilities have the right to the enjoyment of the highest standard of physical and mental health as well, and sexual and reproductive health is an integral component, as we saw with the panel discussion on this issue during the 16th Conference of States Parties to the CRPD in June.

We are therefore pleased to welcome the inclusion of language in this resolution, recognising the importance of access to health-care services and sexual and reproductive health of persons with disabilities. However, we would have liked to see this language strengthened even further, and while we regret that we could not further progress the implementation of the Convention in this regard this year, we hope that it will be further progressed in the future.

The resolution also acknowledges how persons with disabilities, including women and girls with disabilities, are often disproportionately affected in situations of risk and are often at increased risk of violence. We must all increase efforts to implement effective action of the Convention to prevent and eliminate violence, exploitation, and abuse against women and girls with disabilities including sexual and gender-based violence without delay.

Reducing barriers and addressing discrimination faced by persons with disabilities is critical to achieve equality. We therefore welcome the important recognition of the diversity and disability community in this resolution and emphasise the importance of an inclusive approach to the implementation of the Convention.