The 2025 list of Countries for review by the CRPD Committee

The 2025 list of Countries for review by the CRPD Committee

The creation of the UNCRPD is a testament of the power of disability rights activism. This international human rights treaty exists because of the collective work of individual activists, local and national disability rights movements and the international disability rights organisations which they created. There are a lot of different ways for organisations and individuals to be active in the implementation and monitoring of the UNCRPD.

National SBH Associations play a key role in monitoring the implementation of the UNCRPD! Have a look below to understand which countries come for review of adoption of List of Issues for the year 2025. It is strongly advised to prepare and submit reports as early as possible.

To guide you further in this process, IF created this information package on the UNCRPD for its Member Associations and individuals with SBH and their families with the ambition to empower and inform.

 2025 AGENDA OF REVIEW OF THE CRPD COMMITTEE

• 3 March to 21 March 2025 – 32nd session: State review of Canada, Dominican Republic, European Union, Palau, Tuvalu and Vietnam
• 24 March to 28 March 2025 – 20th Pre-Sessional Working Group: Adoption of list of issues on Armenia, Egypt, Monaco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Republic of Moldova and Sierra Leone
• 11 August to 29 August 2025– 33rd session: Reviews of States Parties reports: Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Finland, Kiribati, Maldives, Mali, State of Palestine
• 1 September to 5 September 2025 – 21st Pre-Sessional Working Group: Adoption of list of issues on Colombia, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago. Non-reporting State. List of issues prior to reporting of Cyprus

EUROPEAN UNION

From 11 to 12 March, 2025: State review of the European Union. This event represents a crucial moment for the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities, as the EU is the first international organization to have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). This entails an obligation for the EU to ensure that all its policies and legislation comply with the Convention.

A report was prepared to highlight the EU’s shortcomings in implementing the Convention. The report was submitted by the European Disability Forum, including the input by IF, to the CRPD Committee, which underscores several critical areas, including:

• Lack of a specific “disability-fit” check to ensure that EU policies comply with the rights of persons with disabilities.
• Absence of comprehensive EU anti-discrimination legislation.
• Exclusion of women and girls with disabilities from EU gender equality laws.
• Insufficient measures to ensure access to assistive technologies and information in accessible formats.
• Exclusion of persons with disabilities from disaster risk reduction policies.
• Use of EU funds to finance segregating institutions.
• Restrictions on voting rights for persons with disabilities.
• Exclusion of persons with disabilities from EU development and humanitarian aid programs.
• Lack of policies to ensure the rights of employees and visitors with disabilities in EU institutions.

These issues highlight the need for stronger political commitment from the EU to fully implement the UNCRPD. The report stresses that the second phase of the EU Disability Rights Strategy must include concrete actions to address these gaps.

You can follow the CRPD Committee session live on the UN WebTV.

INFORMATION PACKAGE

IF has created this information package on the UNCRPD for its Member Associations and individuals with SBH and their families with the ambition to empower and inform.

• The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
• Monitoring the implementation of the UNCRPD
• What does IF do for the global SBH community?
• How can you participate?
• Useful links

You can download to IF Information Package here: https://ifglobal.org/publications/if-information-package-on-the-uncrpd-and-the-reporting-cycle/

WORKSHOP

Join the Workshop organized by IF partners IDA and EDF on October 29 to learn more about the reporting to the CRPD and CEDAW Committees. Registration is required here.