Australia in Switzerland
Bern and Geneva
Switzerland, Liechtenstein

Statement309

Convention on Cluster Munitions

Intersessional Meeting – April 2012

VICTIM ASSISTANCE – LINKS TO THE CONVENTION ON RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

Statement by Australia

17 April 2012

Statement by Mr Philip Kimpton, First Secretary, Australian Permanent Mission, Geneva


Thank you Madame Coordinator

The Convention on the Rights of Persons (CRPD) provides a comprehensive framework of actions to promote and protect the rights of persons with disability. Uising the CRPD (even for those States which have not yet ratified) will ensire full implementation of obligations under the CCM and the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (MBC).

As the expert panel has pointed out, the CRPD and national efforts to give effect to it are directly relevant to many of the actions in the CCM Vientiane Action Plan, including #21 (focal point within the government) and #23 (inclusion of victim assistance in coordination mechanisms).

Madame Coordinator

Some mine- and cluster munition-affected countries have relatively robust mine action data collection systems on accidents, including the numbers of people who acquire a disability as a result of an accident. Systems for collecting information on the number of people with disability more broadly, and their quality of life, are however less well-developed.

The CRPD Article 31 on statistics and data collection notes that States will collect disaggregated information, as appropriate, to inform and monitor obligations, and in doing so, ensure legal safeguards, ethical principles and accessibility of data to people with disability. Implementation of this Article will directly support the MBC Cartagena Action Plan (Action #25) and CCM Vientiane Action Plan (Action #23).

It is critical that data on disability includes all people with disability, not just a particular group (such as survivors of accidents with cluster munition remnants). Without this information, disability policies, programs and services will not be able to meet the needs of all citizens. As such, data collection on disability should be integrated into existing processes (and corresponding agencies) where possible, including through census, socio-economic surveys and demographic health surveys.

In addition, data collection should conform to internationally comparable methodologies. In this respect, the International Classification of Functioning (ICF) should be used as the basis for definitions of disability and national data standards.

Madame Coordinator

We also note that Article 32 of the CRPD should facilitate the provision of international cooperation and assistance to States for the enhanced implementation of the CRPD, benefitting survivors of accidents with mines, cluster munition remnants and other explosive remnants of war.

Madame Coordinator

Lastly, I take this opportunity to remind delegations of the publication entitled Assisting Landmine and other Explosive Remnant of War Survivors in the Context of Disarmament, Disability and Development, which provides a range of recommendations to enhance efforts to assist victims and survivors.

Through the publication we are reminded that when used as a framework, the CRPD will ensire a comprehensive approach to improve the lives of people with disabilities through the promotion and protection of human rights. It expands and aligns closely with the range of actions included within the CCM and MBC. In this respect, using the CRPD will broaden the range of possible initiatives to benefit and include all people with disability – including cluster munition, mine and ERW survivors.

Thank you.