• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • About DNS
  • Subscribe to DNS
  • Advertise with DNS
  • Support DNS
  • Contact DNS

Disability News Service

the country's only news agency specialising in disability issues

  • Home
  • Independent Living
    • Arts, Culture and Sport
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Employment
    • Housing
    • Transport
  • Activism & Campaigning
  • Benefits & Poverty
  • Politics
  • Human Rights
You are here: Home / Human Rights / DPOs ask May for meeting over lack of progress on UN convention rights
An overhead view of the delegates in the chamber in Geneva

DPOs ask May for meeting over lack of progress on UN convention rights

By John Pring on 1st March 2018 Category: Human Rights

Listen

Disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) have accused the government of maintaining a “head-in-the-sand denial” of its failure to protect disabled people’s human rights.

The criticism came from a coalition of DPOs from across the UK as they wrote to the prime minister, Theresa May, to question the lack of progress in the six months since the UN delivered a “damning” verdict on her government’s record on disability rights, and to ask for a meeting to discuss their concerns.

The UN committee on the rights of persons with disabilities (UNCRPD) told the UK government in August in its “concluding observations” that it needed to make more than 80 improvements to the ways its laws and policies affect disabled people’s human rights.

In its review of the UK’s implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Geneva (pictured) – in which members of the coalition played a significant role – the committee raised concerns and made recommendations on all but three of the 33 treaty articles the UK could have breached.

The committee made the highest number of recommendations for improvements it had ever issued for a country undergoing the review process, while the committee member who led the review warned the UK was “going backwards” on independent living.

But since the concluding observations were published six months ago, there has been no sign of a response from the UK government, which has also failed to work with DPOs on how it could improve its record.

Now the coalition of the country’s leading DPOs has written to the prime minister to express its alarm at this lack of action, and to call for a meeting with her.

Among the coalition are the Reclaiming Our Futures Alliance (ROFA), Inclusion Scotland, Disability Wales, Inclusion London, Black Triangle, People First (Self Advocacy), British Deaf Association, and Disabled People Against Cuts.

Among key concerns highlighted by the UN committee, which the government has so far failed to act on, says the coalition, is the need to enshrine the UN convention into domestic law as the UK leaves the European Union.

Other concerns include the lack of resources to implement the Equality Act; the need for a “fully resourced action plan” to implement the UN convention across the UK; and work to ensure rights to independent living, employment and an adequate standard of living and social protection.

The coalition has told May that the UK had “previously been seen as a leader on disability rights by many countries around the world and therefore has a ‘special obligation’ to set world leading standards on the treatment of disabled people and their inclusion in society”.

But the coalition also told May that the UN committee concluded that this “leading position has been lost”.

Tracey Lazard, chief executive of Inclusion London, a ROFA member, said: “Six months on from the UN disability committee’s damning verdict on this government’s failure to protect and progress disabled people’s rights, things continue to get worse, not better, for disabled people.

“The government appears to be maintaining its position of blanket denial that there is anything wrong, dismissing our lived experience, the UN findings and failing to act on any of the recommendations put forward in the committee’s concluding observations.

“This state of affairs cannot continue.

“Disabled people’s organisations from across the UK are calling on the government to recognise the very serious concerns identified by the UN disability committee and to use the concluding observations as an opportunity to begin working with, not against, disabled people, so we can get our rights, inclusion and equality back on track.”

Members of the coalition also contrasted the failure of the UK government to work with disabled people and their organisations with the actions of the devolved Welsh and Scottish governments.

Dr Sally Witcher, chief executive of Inclusion Scotland, said: “It is quite astonishing that the UK government should persist in its claim that it remains a global leader on disabled people’s human rights, despite the UN committee’s damning indictment of their record and incontrovertible evidence of the ‘human catastrophe’ austerity cuts have had on disabled people’s lives.

“While the Scottish government has taken a much more positive approach, the impact of the UK government’s failure to take seriously our human rights is nonetheless starkly felt by disabled people in Scotland, particularly with regard to disability benefits.

“The Scottish government frequently involves disabled people in policy-making and has published a plan for the delivery of our human rights.

“Although we do need to see more progress on implementing that plan, it is heartening that the Scottish government has committed to take action.

“In contrast, the UK government seems determined to keep its head buried firmly in the sand, refusing even to acknowledge what is blatantly obvious – that they have repeatedly trampled on our human rights and thereby devastated the lives of very many disabled people throughout the UK. This cannot be allowed to continue.”

Rhian Davies, chief executive of Disability Wales, said the Welsh government had responded to the concluding observations with “continuing dialogue with disabled people and our organisations” through the ongoing review of the Framework for Action on Independent Living.

But she said that “as a devolved nation, it is not possible to entirely mitigate the impact of UK austerity policies, so we join forces with our sister organisations across the UK in calling for urgent action from the prime minister in our quest to safeguard disabled people’s human rights in Wales”.

A Department for Work and Pensions spokeswoman said the government’s response to the concluding observations would be published later this year, while Number 10 “will be responding to the letter in due course”.

She said in a statement: “The UK is a recognised world leader in disabled rights and equality and as a share of GDP, our public spending on disability and incapacity is higher than all other G7 countries bar Germany*.

“Not only do we spend over £50 billion a year to support disabled people and those with health conditions – more than ever before – but we also offer a wide range of tailored and effective support, which this report fails to recognise.

“Our focus is on helping disabled people find and stay in work, whilst providing support for those who can’t.”

*The other five G7 countries are the USA, Japan, France, Italy and Canada

Share this post:

Share on X (Twitter)Share on FacebookShare on WhatsAppShare on RedditShare on LinkedIn

Tags: concluding observations Disability Wales DWP Inclusion Scotland Reclaiming Our Futures Alliance UNCRPD

A photograph shows an audience raising their hands in a BSL sign. The words say: 'BSL Conference 2025. The future starts with us. Leeds 17-18 July. Be part of shaping the future of Deaf cultures and identities. Get 10% off with BDA10'

Related

‘Disastrous’ cuts bill that leaves legacy of distrust and distress ‘must be dropped’
3rd July 2025
Silence from MP sister of Rachel Reeves over suicide linked to PIP flaws, just as government was seeking cuts
3rd July 2025
Disabled people receiving care were ‘ignored by design’ during the pandemic, Covid inquiry hears
3rd July 2025

Primary Sidebar

On the left of the image are multiple heads of different colours - white, aqua, red, light brown, and dark green - all grouped together, then the words ‘Campaign for Disability Justice. Sign up to support. #OpportunitySecurityRespect’
A photograph shows an audience raising their hands in a BSL sign. The words say: 'BSL Conference 2025. The future starts with us. Leeds 17-18 July. Be part of shaping the future of Deaf cultures and identities. Get 10% off with BDA10'

Access

Latest Stories

‘Disastrous’ cuts bill that leaves legacy of distrust and distress ‘must be dropped’

Four disabled Labour MPs stand up to government over cuts to disability benefits

Silence from MP sister of Rachel Reeves over suicide linked to PIP flaws, just as government was seeking cuts

Disabled people receiving care were ‘ignored by design’ during the pandemic, Covid inquiry hears

Disabled activists warn Labour MPs who vote for cuts: ‘The gloves will be off’

GB News says it has nothing to apologise for, after guest suggests starving disabled benefit claimants

SEND inspections find services in just one in four areas usually lead to ‘positive’ outcomes for disabled children

Disabled MP who quit government over benefit cuts tells DNS: ‘The consequences will be devastating’

Disabled peers plan to ‘amend, amend, amend, amend, amend’ after assisted dying bill reaches Lords

Minister finally admits that working-age benefits spending is stable, despite months of ‘spiralling’ claims

Advice and Information

Readspeaker
A photograph shows an audience raising their hands in a BSL sign. The words say: 'BSL Conference 2025. The future starts with us. Leeds 17-18 July. Be part of shaping the future of Deaf cultures and identities. Get 10% off with BDA10'

Footer

The International Standard Serial Number for Disability News Service is: ISSN 2398-8924

  • Accessibility Statement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Site map
  • Bluesky
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Threads
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2025 Disability News Service

Site development by A Bright Clear Web