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An estimated 15 per cent of the population in the Pacific live with a disability and are among the poorest and most marginalized in their communities with limited access to education, employment, basic services and other development opportunities. Despite core international human rights treaties, persons with disabilities have remained invisible and subject to general neglect, stigma and discrimination. To bridge this protection gap, regional frameworks and global commitments called for Pacific countries to adopt inclusive legislative measures to protect the rights of persons with disabilities. This report provides a comparative analysis of legislative compliance with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) across seven Pacific island countries and nine national and state jurisdictions: Vanuatu, Nauru, Republic of Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and the Federated States of Micronesia (Pohnpei State and Kosrae State). The report consolidates the key findings of a series of CRPD legislative compliance reviews conducted between 2015 and 2019 under the Pacific Enable Project (Phases I & II) with funding support from the UN Partnership to Promote the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD) in response to requests from Pacific governments. It addresses critical questions of inequality, discrimination and exclusion as they affect persons with disabilities in the Pacific region, examining common infringements as well as positive examples in Constitutional frameworks and over twenty areas of law. It also outlines legislative options and opportunities for Pacific countries toward harmonization with the CRPD.

An estimated 15 per cent of the population in the Pacific live with a disability and are among the poorest and most marginalized in their communities with limited access to education, employment, basic services and other development opportunities. Despite core international human rights treaties, persons with disabilities have remained invisible and subject to general neglect, stigma and discrimination. To bridge this protection gap, regional frameworks and global commitments called for Pacific countries to adopt inclusive legislative measures to protect the rights of persons with disabilities. This report provides a comparative analysis of legislative compliance with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) across seven Pacific island countries and nine national and state jurisdictions: Vanuatu, Nauru, Republic of Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and the Federated States of Micronesia (Pohnpei State and Kosrae State). The report consolidates the key findings of a series of CRPD legislative compliance reviews conducted between 2015 and 2019 under the Pacific Enable Project (Phases I & II) with funding support from the UN Partnership to Promote the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD) in response to requests from Pacific governments. It addresses critical questions of inequality, discrimination and exclusion as they affect persons with disabilities in the Pacific region, examining common infringements as well as positive examples in Constitutional frameworks and over twenty areas of law. It also outlines legislative options and opportunities for Pacific countries toward harmonization with the CRPD.

Contact
Subregional Office for the Pacific +679 331-9669 [email protected]