The Government has formally responded to an important United Nations report, confirming that of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed or considered as part of wider work later this year.
Disability Issues Minister, Louise Upston said a further 16 have been considered and noted, with the Government retaining flexibility to reconsider the response to these recommendations at any time.
“New Zealand is an international leader on disability rights,” Minister Upston says.
“Progressing these recommendations, which will involve a whole-of-Government response, will deliver better public services and achieve better results in areas including health, education, housing and employment.”
She said work was already underway or planned for 30 observations, while a further 17 will be considered as part of work to be done by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha to develop the next New Zealand Disability Strategy in 2025.
Tracking progress against the recommendations is important, and steps will be added to support greater transparency and accountability, the Minister said.
“Ensuring we demonstrate concrete, tangible progress is important for both the disability community and this Government.”
“To support progress, I have re-established a Ministerial Disability Leadership Group to drive collective action for disabled people across Government and to engage with the Independent Monitoring Mechanism.
“I am committed to seeing real results for the disabled community and delivering progress on UNCRPD is one of the ways we will do so,” she said.
The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is an independent international committee made up of 18 experts on disability rights and policy. The UN Committee reviewed New Zealand’s progress on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2022.
Further information on New Zealand’s response to the UN Committee is available here.
