Visit of the representatives of the Coalition for Independent Living to the 28th session of the Committee
Meetings between the Committee and representatives of Georgian civil society took place in Geneva from 5 to 10 March as part of the 28th session of the Committee on Persons with Disabilities, focusing on the first report submitted by the Georgian authorities.
Speakers addressed the Committee on all aspects of the lives of persons with disabilities, including: Lack of services for children and adults with disabilities, gaps in capacity reform, needs of women with disabilities and inaccessibility of health services for them, gaps in implementation of laws, existing barriers towards education and employment of persons with disabilities.
A number of challenges for people with psychosocial needs, the promotion of independent living services and regional needs were highlighted. The need to develop a unified national action plan for equal access for persons with disabilities and the ineffectiveness of the current form of implementation and coordination mechanism of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities or its strengthening, the need to move to a biopsychosocial model of disability assessment.
Committee members asked disabled persons and representatives of disability organisations additional questions on various topics in discussion mode.
Also, a hybrid meeting of the Committee for the Rights of People with Disabilities and Georgia's civil society was convened on March 6, 2023, to discuss Georgian authorities' implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The coalition for independent living presented a different report to the committee for the first time in 2017 in collaboration with 23 non-governmental groups.
The committee will publish a brief summary of its findings regarding Georgia's progress in implementing the Convention when the session is over.