ADVANCED UNEDITED TEXT

United Nations / A/71/XX
General Assembly / Distr.: General
XX 2016
Original: English

Seventy-firstsession

*A/68/150.

Item # of the provisional agenda*

Social development

word count: 8, 492

Towards the full realization of an inclusive and accessible
United Nations for persons with disabilities

Report of the Secretary-General

Summary
The present report is submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolution 70/170 in which the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to submit a comprehensive report at its seventy-first session on the status of inclusion and accessibility for persons with disabilities at the United Nations. It covers accessibility issues as they relate to human resources, physical facilities of the UN premises, conference services and facilities, information and documentation and offers options toward improved accessibility. The present report also includes best practices and views of Member States, UN system organizations and other relevant stakeholders concerning accessibility at the United Nations. The report provides recommendations for next steps toward making the UN premises more inclusive and accessible.

I.Introduction

1.The present report is submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolution 70/170 of 17 December 2015 in which the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to submit a comprehensive report at its seventy-first session on the status of inclusion and accessibility for persons with disabilities at the United Nations.

2.Accessibility is an essential condition for the inclusion and participation of persons with disabilities in society and development. The United Nationsrecognizes this effort and continues to work toward the full and equal participation of persons with disabilities in all aspects of society and development.

3.The international community is now in the phase of implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. At this critical juncture, the United Nations system is supportingMember States and other stakeholders in taking action for a development agenda focused on“leaving no one behind”..

4.In preparation of the present report, a Note Verbale was sent to Member States, requesting for input, which resulted in a total of 33 submissions.[1]Interdepartmental Task Force on Accessibility (IDTFA) Members, the Inter-agency Support Group for the CRPD (IASG) and United Nations entities, as well as staff members at the United Nations, were also requested for their inputs and 36 submissions were forwarded as a result.

5.The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of the Human Rights Council also provided their input for the report. A call was disseminated for inputs from civil society via the UN Enable website, newsletter and social media, which drew 17 submissions from civil society organizations, most of which were organizations of persons with disabilities. Experiences and perspectives of staff of the United Nations were also solicited and were incorporated in the report.

6.These submissions providea wealth of information concerning accessibility and inclusion of persons with disabilities at the United Nations, covering its facilities, services and human resource management, which will provide a basis for future discussion and work to improve accessibility at the United Nations.

  1. Status of accessibility within the UN Secretariat and other UN entities
  1. Existing networks and coordination

7.Over the past three decades, the General Assembly recognized “accessibility” as a priority issue within the United Nations system, and hasadopted a series of resolutions in this regard.[2]More recently, resolution 65/186 callsfor progressive improvements in accessibility and full inclusion of persons with disabilities inbuilt environments, information, documentation and conferences, and employment, within existing resources, at the United Nations.[3]

8.The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, adopted by the General Assembly in 2006, provides a guiding framework for promoting an inclusive and accessible society for all. Accessibility is a precondition for persons with disabilities to live independently and participate fully and equally in society, as presented in article 19 of the Convention. The right to access for persons with disabilities is ensured through strict implementation of accessibility standards. Barriers to access to existing objects, facilities, goods and services aimed at or open to the public should be removed gradually in a systematic and, more importantly, continuously monitored manner, with the aim of achieving full accessibility.[4]

9.Currently, there exists within the United Nations system a number of coordinationarrangements concerned with accessibility and inclusion of persons with disabilities.

10.The Human Resources Network (HRN) of the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB), established in 2009,endorsed the policy statement on persons with disabilities in the United Nations workplace at its 18th session.[5]Since then, many UN agencies reported having developed and integrated a policy on the employment of persons with disabilities into their respective human resources management strategies.[6] In this context, the CEB’s High-Level Committee on Management supported the implementation of such policies by all UN organizations, requesting the Network to consider ways to measure results inclusive of best practices from the private sector.[7]

11.In October 2010, the Inter-Departmental Task Force on Accessibility (IDTFA) of the United Nations Secretariat was established jointly by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, with a view to developing United Nations Secretariat-wide policy guidelines for improving accessibility and facilitating an enabling environment for the participation of persons with disabilities in the work of the United Nations. During the past six years, the IDTFA, co-chaired by DESA and DGACM and consisting of representatives from other Secretariat offices and Departments, has been working to improve accessibility at the UN Secretariat. The IDTFAmeets regularly, exchanges information and collaborates closely to make improvements toward a more accessible and inclusive UN Secretariat. The IDTFA convened a number of consultations and walk-throughs at the UN Headquartersduring recent renovations and prior to major conferences related to disability.

12.The IDTFA has also organized a Focus Group on Accessibility, including representatives of organizations of persons with disabilities among other stakeholders. The group was instrumental in adopting a new symbol of access that is currently in use at the United Nations Accessibility Centre at the UN Headquarters.

13.The Task Force on Accessibility of the International Annual Meeting on Language Arrangements, Documentation and Publications (IAMLADP) promotes accessibility for inclusion of persons with disabilities in conferences and related services at the United Nations. The Accessibility Task Force advises IAMLADP member organizations on strategy and policy, focusing its effort on promoting consensus among key actors for a coherent and coordinated accessibility framework for planning and delivery of services. It also follows up on other relevant issues and maintains an online library of resources and information[8] from all participating international organizations. In 2015, the Task Force was mandated to carry out a survey of services and resources of IAMLADP member organizations.[9] Based on the results of the survey, the Task Force will prepare accessibility best practice guidelines with a view to establish standardized solutions that could be implemented across organizations in the provision of accessible services.

14.At theUNOG, the Human Rights Council Task Force (TF) on Secretariat services, accessibility and use of information technology was established by the Council in July 2011.[10] The TF is composed of a representative of the Bureau of the Human Rights Council, representatives of the OHCHR and the UNOG and representative organizations of persons with disabilities. The TF meets regularly to discuss priorities to enhance accessibility relating to physical facilities, conferences and services, and documentation and information. The TF informs the Council on its work, and is currently elaborating an accessibility plan to the Council in coordination with the UNOG and the OHCHR.

15.The General Assembly High Level Meeting on Disability and Development in 2013[11] reaffirmed accessibility as a top priority in its outcome document. In the spirit of UN Secretariat-wide support for this historic meeting, more than 100 in-house staff from the UN Headquarters in New Yorkvolunteered to provide enabling environments for participants with disabilities.

16.Based on many decades of experience as the focal point on disability within the UN system, DESA supported international conferences and meetings on issues concerning disability, including as the Secretariat to the UN General Assembly Ad Hoc Committee on Disability, which resulted in the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities by the Assembly in 2006. DESA has been promoting accessibility and the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the work of the United Nations to advance the goal of “a society and development for all” DESA draws on experience from its work to support the General Assembly and supports the IDTFA’s work to be in alignment with the broader goal of the international community to promote accessibility and the inclusion of persons with disabilities as an integral part of the work of the United Nations. In the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, DESA is continuing its efforts to promote accessibility as an essential condition for the achievement of the SDGs, building an enabling environment for the full and effective participation of persons with disabilities in all aspects of the work of the UN.

17.Since 2008, DESA serves as the secretariat to the Conference of the States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and it has has coordinated with other relevant UN Departments and Offices to support all aspects of the annual sessions of the Conference at the UN Headquarters in New York which draws more than 1000 participants, including participants with disabilities who have a wide range of accessibility requirements. In this context, DESA disseminates the information on the work of the United Nations on disability through the UN websites, in particular UNEnable, and through outreach to expert communities, academic and civil society organizations, including representative organizations of persons with disabilities.

18.In December 2013, a Special Envoy on Disability and Accessibility was appointed by the Secretary General. The Envoy promotes greater accessibility and inclusion of persons with disabilities in all aspects of society and development in line with the CRPD and other international commitments.

  1. Human Resources

19.The current United Nations policy on employment and accessibility for staff members with disabilities at the United Nations Secretariat was promulgated in June 2014 in Secretary-General’s bulletin ST/SGB/2014/3.[12]The core concept of the policy is the reasonable accommodation provided to staff members with disabilities to remove workplace barriers thereby enabling them to effectively perform their official functions. The bulletin also sets out measures aimed at creating a non-discriminatory and inclusive working environment for staff members with disabilities and establishes United Nations policy on access to facilities, employment opportunities and availability of reasonable accommodation for staff members. Further measures are taken to secure the necessary assurance framework to monitor compliance with the policy, including through appointing a focal point on disability and accessibility in the workplace and addressing the issue of data collection for the reporting purposes with full respect for the related confidentiality requirements. At present all the above measures must be taken within existing resources as no additional resources have so far been approved for this purpose by the General Assembly.

20.UN Cares, the UN system wide workplace programme on HIV, has developed a suite of learning programmes called “UN for All” that aim to raise awareness about diversity and inclusion issues in the workplace and how managers and staff can address them. One of the programmes focuses exclusively on the needs of staff members with disabilities. Summary information is available at UN Cares delivers these programmes to staff and also runs a train-the-trainer system to enhance the reach of the programmes at field duty stations.

  1. UN premises, conference services and facilities

21.During the renovations at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, improvement to accessibility was a core goal of its Capital Master Plan (CMP) from the outset of the project. The CMP developed designs which not only met or exceeded the host country codes, but also were designed to address the real life accessibility-requirements of all persons, whether delegates, staff or visitors to the United Nations. The CMP followed the Standards for Accessible Design of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as well as best international practice. New accessibility features implemented included adding power-assisted doors at all of the major entrances to the buildings, adding lifts, and ensuring that all food services, restrooms, access and egress routes, safety systems, signage, parking spaces and other public amenities were fully accessible. The General Assembly Plenary Hall includes accessible positions, all desks on the floor are fully accessible and the both levels of the speaker’s podium are accessible via lift.

22.The Secretary-General in his report on Strategic Capital Review (A/70/697), devoted to the overall proposed capital maintenance approach for United Nations owned building and infrastructure assets, in paragraph 60 states that “each of the projects proposed under the review includes an accessibility aspect and one of the main objectives of each renovation project is to bring existing buildings up to minimum code requirements. Additionally, the Secretariat intends to go beyond minimum requirements and aspires to follow international best practice in the area of universal design and reasonable accommodation in the projects”.

23.Improvements in conference facilities and ICT infrastructure based on the program of renovations and improvements offer meeting participants and staff with disabilities better accommodation of their needs at the UN. Accessible services to meetings are provided when mandated or on reimbursable basis. UN conference centres primarily in New York and Geneva and in varying degrees in Vienna and Nairobi, either directly or in collaboration with other support units provide meeting services in such accessible formats as sign interpretation on the web, on screen and on site, closed captioning, Braille on-demand and electronic documentation in the format which may be accessible to screen readers. Harmonized approach in policy and practice at UN conference centres towards accessible conference services is an important means to mainstream accessibility of meetings and related products. The Director of the Meetings and Publishing Division of DGACM in New York is assigned to serve as the focal point in this endeavour.

24.In New York some of the new accessibility features implemented as part of the Capital Master Plan at HQ include power-assisted doors at all of the major entrances to the buildings; in Conference Rooms 5, 6 and 7, accessible positions and dedicated tables are adjusted to have proper wheel chair clearance; in Conference Room 8 accessible positions have been added; Conference Rooms 11 and 12 are fully accessible; Conference Room 4 aisles are reconfigured so that the seats and tables on the entire main floor are fully accessible. All of the advisor seats are removable, which makes this space ideally suited for accessibility conferences.

  1. The Plenary Hall tables have been modified to be accessible for the entire main floor. There are accessible positions in every type of seating — advisor, delegate or observer — at each floor level. There are lifts in the Plenary Hall that makes both the rostrum and the podium accessible.
  2. All of new food serveries are accessible.
  3. All of the toilet rooms are accessible, and in the General Assembly Building there are new added individual unisex accessible bathrooms on the main floors.
  4. Both North and South Screening Buildings are also fully accessible.
  5. In addition other accessibility features include swing doors and accessible turnstiles at access control points, accessible seating locations and ramps to all speakers’ platforms, signage provided with Braille graphics, and the correct contrast and letter sizes, door widths and clear areas on the pull and push sides that meet accessibility standards, life safety systems which include speakers and strobe audio frequency induction loop technology, and a wide variety of headsets were provided to suit a variety of cultural and personal preferences of meeting participants.
  6. Enhanced support for T-switch-equipped assisted listening devices was implemented to the extent technically feasible.

25.At the completion of the Strategic Heritage Plan (SHP) project, all conference rooms will be accessible for persons with disabilities. There will be accessible AV/IT infrastructure and equipment, podium access, circulation width, at least one accessible door and manoeuvring space, etc. in each conference room. Currently there are 190 interpretation booths out of which only 16 or (8%) are accessible. When the SHP plan is implemented, there will be a total of 203 booths of which 47 (23%) will be accessible. Eight (8) entrances will be made fully accessible (upgrade of existing or additional entrance) with accessible sidewalks, tactile paving, ramp, handrails, contrast strips, automatic doors, intercoms, signage, etc. Improvements that will be made on main hallways and corridors include indoor paths and guiding system in nine different zones, new intercoms (visual/audio), removal of obstacles, installation of lighting and signage. Twenty eight (28) main elevators will be fully code compliant with manoeuvring space, door width, control panel height, Braille, audio, etc. Improvements will be made to 18 main stairs to include tactile and contrasted marking, handrails, etc. There will be 27 new fully accessible restrooms / accessibility upgrades in 8 accessible restrooms including manoeuvring space, easy to open doors, etc. as per SIA 500specifics. Finally, improvement to the office space and individual workstation for persons with disabilities will include manoeuvring space, legible information on the door, height of desk, height of electrical sockets and switches, door passage, easy to open doors, etc.