Continuing the permanent cooperation with the United Nations’ bodies, our Association informed the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, Heba Hagrass, in the framework of preparing her next thematic report to the 81st session of the General Assembly on the implementation of inclusive humanitarian assistance in the context of current humanitarian reform processes.
The ARC submission, prepared by Anna Prykhodko, Olesya Tsybulko, and other experts and published on the UN web-sources now, reminded that the Ukrainian persons with disabilities face the major challenges in endeavoring the system of services and supports for such people, connected with war, as thousands of Ukrainians with disabilities lost their houses and safe access to medical and social services, including digital services, due to Russian aggression and related hostilities.
The politicization and obviousness of these Russian aggressors’ crimes against persons with disabilities, accompanied by statements and demands from both the leaders of the occupying “authorities” in Crimea and the Russian leadership as a whole, have all the signs of state terrorism, the ARC submission added.
The ARC submission stressed again that the issues of illegal activities of mercenaries, paramilitary structures, and militaristic and racist propaganda against persons with disabilities in conflict zones and zones of foreign effective control must be reflected in the UN reports.
Aspects of state terrorism and financing of terrorist groups and activities that are against persons with disabilities in conflict zones and zones of foreign effective control, including humanitarian assistance issues, must be taken into account by the UN officials.
The ARC submission added that the issues of disinformation, hate speech, racial discrimination, and genocidal policy against persons with disabilities, especially those belonging to minorities and indigenous peoples, in conflict zones, as it happens in the Russia-occupied territories of Ukraine, must be taken into account by the international institutions.
