Article 33, Paragraph 2 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) stipulates that one or more independent mechanisms shall be designated or established to promote, protect, and monitor the implementation of the CRPD. Article 33, Paragraph 3 of the CRPD mandates that civil society, in particular persons with disabilities and their representative organizations, shall be involved and participate fully in the monitoring process.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has selected “establishing a mechanism for monitoring the implementation of the CRPD” as an issue for discussion in the 2023–2026 Medium-Term Strategic Plan. To increase the participation of persons with disabilities and expand the scope of the survey, the NHRC hosted six regional seminar sessions—one each in Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan, Taitung, Taipei, and Kaohsiung—between August and October of 2023 in which the focus group method was employed to gain insight into the unique life experiences of intersectional disadvantaged groups, including children and adolescents, indigenous peoples, and seniors with disabilities.
With reference to the practice of other national human rights institutions, the NHRC also conducted an opinion survey from November 2–November 30, 2023 to determine which aspects of the CRPD monitoring mechanism should be given priority. The survey asked the respondents, including persons with disabilities, family members of persons with disabilities, and citizens who have an interest in disability issues, to rate the importance of the various rights of persons with disabilities. The results will provide an important reference for the independent monitoring of the CRPD. For this survey, a total of 6,859 samples were retrieved. The survey results indicate that the top three rights which the respondents in general and in particular respondents with disabilities were most concerned about were “work and employment,” “equality and non-discrimination,” and “right to life and freedom from exploitation, violence and abuse.” The collected opinions, together with the Human Rights Indicators on the CRPD developed by the United Nations, will be compiled into specific plans for monitoring the government’s implementation of the CRPD.
To access the survey results, see “Explanation of Opinions on the CRPD Implementation Monitoring Mechanism”.[Link]