Attachments
Tuesday, 20 May 2025, 8:30 am to 10:00 am (NYC time)
Permanent Mission of Poland to the United Nations (750 Third Ave, 30th floor)
Co-organizers: Poland, UN-Women, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, International Disability Alliance
Co-sponsors: Finland, Germany, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, United Nations Mine Action Service
Background
An estimated one in five women worldwide has a disability, and many reside in contexts affected by armed conflict, humanitarian crises, or natural disasters. Women and girls have been recognized as being particularly affected by conflict and emergencies, notably in UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace, and Security. Five years later, UN Security Council Resolution 2250 (2015) further recognized young persons’ positive role in international peace and security. Importantly, it called on States to comply with the obligations applicable to them under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Due to pre-conceived ideas and stigma, women and girls with disabilities face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination that expose them to heightened risks of violence, abuse, displacement, neglect, deprivation of liberty, and exclusion in conflict and emergency settings. These compounded risks are further exacerbated by systemic failures in the design and delivery of humanitarian aid, protection, basic services, and peacebuilding processes, which too often are not gender- and disability-responsive.
The adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2475 (2019), co-initiated by Poland and the United Kingdom, was a landmark moment in affirming the international community’s responsibility to protect and include all persons with disabilities in conflict and humanitarian settings. The resolution reaffirms obligations under international humanitarian law and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, particularly its Article 11, which addresses the protection of persons with disabilities in situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies.
At the same time, 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a milestone in the advancement of the rights of women and girls. While disability was not prominently addressed in the text of that Declaration in 1995, the Platform for Action recognized that some women and girls are particularly affected by environmental disasters and vulnerable to violence in situations of armed conflict. In her most recent report, the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities focused on how this landmark framework addresses and promotes the rights of women and girls with disabilities (A/HRC/58/56). The current momentum provides a unique opportunity to reflect on the progress made but also how much remains to be done to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls, including women and girls with disabilities, particularly in the context of armed conflict and emergencies.
This side event builds on the discussions held at the UN Security Council Arria-formula meeting of 6 December 2024, convened by Guyana and Slovenia, and co-sponsored by Poland and the United Kingdom, on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 2475 (2019). During that meeting, many delegations highlighted the urgent need to address specific vulnerabilities and the full and equal enjoyment, as well as protection, of all human rights of women and girls with disabilities in conflicts and emergencies. This event will examine barriers encountered by women and girls with disabilities in conflict and emergencies, promote the sharing of good practices from diverse contexts, and propose concrete ways forward for the full enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms without discrimination.
Objectives
This side event aims to raise awareness of the specific and often overlooked violations and risks faced by women and girls with disabilities in situations of armed conflict and humanitarian emergencies.
It seeks to explore how multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination – based on gender, disability, and other identities – compound exposure to violence, exclusion, and barriers in accessing protection, services, justice and meaningful participation in humanitarian action, conflict prevention, resolution, reconciliation, reconstruction, and peacebuilding.
It will also highlight the importance of strengthening the resilience of women and girls with disabilities, including through anticipatory and preventive action, to help them better prepare for and respond to various crises and emergencies.
Against the backdrop of the recently-celebrated fifth anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 2475 (2019) and the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the event offers an opportunity to reflect on the progress achieved and the gaps that remain in the implementation of global commitments to gender equality and disability inclusion.
Through testimonies from regions affected by conflicts, crises and disasters, insights from UN experts and civil society, and exchange of good practices, the discussion will contribute to a deeper understanding of how international obligations under Article 11 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and UN Security Council Resolution 2475 (2019) can be better operationalized and how the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action can be implemented, for and with women and girls with disabilities.
The event also aims to generate concrete, actionable recommendations to improve inclusive access to humanitarian aid, services, protection from sexual and gender-based violence, and justice, as well as to ensure the meaningful participation of women and girls with disabilities in peacebuilding, recovery, and crisis preparedness efforts.
Importantly, the event will serve as a platform to amplify the voices and leadership of women and girls with disabilities, stressing the importance of sustained consultation and dialogue with organizations of persons with disabilities, ensuring that their lived experiences and expertise steer the way forward.