CRPD/C/GC/2
recommends that international development agencies recognize the significance of
supporting projects aimed at improving ICT and other access infrastructure. All new
investments made within the framework of international cooperation should be used to
encourage the removal of existing barriers and prevent the creation of new barriers. It is
unacceptable to use public funds to perpetuate new inequalities. All new objects,
infrastructure, facilities, goods, products and services must be fully accessible for all
persons with disabilities. International cooperation should be used not merely to invest in
accessible goods, products and services, but also to foster the exchange of know-how and
information on good practice in achieving accessibility in ways that will make tangible
changes that can improve the lives of millions of persons with disabilities worldwide.
International cooperation on standardization is also important, as is the fact that
organizations of persons with disabilities must be supported so that they can participate in
national and international processes to develop, implement and monitor accessibility
standards. Accessibility must be an integral part of any sustainable development effort,
especially in the context of the post-2015 development agenda.
48.
The monitoring of accessibility is a crucial aspect of the national and international
monitoring of the implementation of the Convention. Article 33 of the Convention requires
States parties to designate focal points within their governments for matters relating to the
implementation of the Convention, as well as to establish national frameworks to monitor
implementation which include one or more independent mechanisms. Civil society should
also be involved and should participate fully in the monitoring process. It is crucial that the
bodies established further to article 33 are duly consulted when measures for the proper
implementation of article 9 are considered. Those bodies should be provided with
meaningful opportunities to, inter alia, take part in the drafting of national accessibility
standards, comment on existing and draft legislation, submit proposals for draft legislation
and policy regulation, and participate fully in awareness-raising and educational
campaigns. The processes of national and international monitoring of the implementation
of the Convention should be performed in an accessible manner that promotes and ensures
the effective participation of persons with disabilities and their representative organizations.
Article 49 of the Convention requires that the text of the Convention be made available in
accessible formats. This is an innovation in an international human rights treaty and the
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities should be seen as setting a precedent
in that respect for all future treaties.
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