Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia Kristinne Grigoryan participated in the 15th session of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
During the plenary session, the Defender presented the mandate of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia ensuring compliance with the requirements of the Convention, and the work being done, both in regards to the monitoring of the situation and the individual application as a result of the examination of complaints. Grigoryan emphasized the importance of the special report submitted to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities by the Defender's Office last year, which, in addition to presenting systemic issues, included proposals for solutions to those.
Kristinne Grigoryan noted, with satisfaction, the vital role cooperation of the Human Rights Defender's institution with non-governmental organizations of different sizes played in ensuring conformity with the Convention and monitoring the overall conditions of the rights of persons with disabilities.
The Defender drew the attention of the participants of the conference to the need to address the affects and impediments people with disabilities had to face during the state of emergency and the martial law declared at the wartime.
Foregrounding the steps taken by the Armenian authorities to guarantee the rights of persons with disabilities, the Human Rights Defender noted the continuing challenges, including the lack of comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation, which would define the denial of special facilities for persons with disabilities as discrimination.
The Defender Grigoryan also stressed that several challenges have not been overcome yet, comprising the deinstitutionalization of children with disabilities, expansion of care, guarantee and provision of adequate living conditions for people with disabilities, in particular, provision of access to urban development, transportation, information and communication, as well as social, educational, health, cultural and sports services. The Defender further underlined the need for the Republic of Armenia to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention.
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