KAREN EARNSHAW
A Marshallese delegation led by Minister of Cultural and Internal Affairs Jess Gasper attended an important United Nations meeting on the rights of people with disabilities in Geneva, Switzerland this month.
The event was the thirty-fourth Session of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and in a media release the UN stated that during the session “it will review the reports of Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Liberia, Marshall Islands, Pakistan and Samoa under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).”
The CRPD was ratified by the RMI 10 years ago but meeting the stringent reporting requirements has taken time. A report is believed to have been submitted by RMI in 2019 with the UN later providing significant feedback. According to a government official, the feedback was addressed by a follow-up report in November, 2025. The goal is now to come up with a process that will include a pathway for collaboration for future reporting by both government and civil society, which is represented by the Marshall Islands Disabled Persons Organization (MIDPO).
The Marshall Islands delegation was joined by the RMI Geneva Mission’s Ambassador Doreen deBrum and Deputy Chief of Mission Sam Lanwi. Another group of collaborating Marshallese used the Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority’s high-tech conference room to attend the meeting virtually.
The disabled persons organization’s participation was sponsored by the Pacific Disabilities Forum, while members of the Public School System had funding from SPC with the caveat that the knowledge learned at the meeting be shared with other Pacific education systems.
Delegation member PSS Commissioner Natalie Nimmer said: “The recent CRPD review in Geneva was an important opportunity for the Marshall Islands to reflect honestly on our progress, acknowledge where more work is needed, and reaffirm our commitment to protecting the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities.”
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