The 19th global meeting on disability rights opened at UN Headquarters, with the Secretary-General acknowledging hard-won gains and significant gaps that remain.
At UN Headquarters on Tuesday, the 19th Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities opened with a direct acknowledgement: progress has been made, but the promises of two decades ago remain only partially kept.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres told delegates that historical gains in disability rights have been hard-won, according to UN General Assembly News. He said that much more needs to be done to advance progress in realising commitments made when the Convention was first adopted.
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, adopted in 2006, set out a framework for the full and equal participation of disabled people in society. The annual Conference of States Parties brings together governments, civil society, and disability advocates to measure how far that framework has been implemented — and where it continues to fall short.
For people with albinism, the Convention's reach is directly relevant. The UN Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism has previously noted that people with albinism frequently face barriers covered by the Convention's mandates: access to education, access to healthcare including vision support and sun protection, and protection from violence and discrimination.
The conference, now in its 19th year, reflects how long the work of translating international commitments into lived change actually takes.
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