Statement by Minister Jun Saito,
Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations
At the Tenth Session of the Conference of States Parties to the CRPD
Agenda Item 5(a): General Debate
14 June 2017

 

 

Mr. President,

 

          At the outset, I would like to express my sincere gratitude and respect to you, your fellow Bureau members and all those involved in the dedicated efforts to prepare this meeting.

 

          One of the challenges for the next decade is the further social participation of persons with disabilities. Full and effective participation and inclusion in society is one of the basic principles stipulated in the Convention. To realize this, comprehensive efforts to review and improve every social system from the viewpoint of persons with disabilities are imperative.

 

          Japan will proudly host the Tokyo Paralympic Games in 2020. Leading up to this important event, Japan has been swiftly reforming its systems with regard to persons with disabilities. In particular, the Government of Japan established an Action Plan in February this year. Based on this Plan, Japan is taking various steps, such as producing manuals for how to accommodate persons with disabilities, and revising building design standards to correspond to universal design.

 

          At the same time, in order to respond to the challenges for the next decade, achieving the SDGs is of key importance. Last December, Japan established guidelines for its implementation of the SDGs. In the guidelines, promoting the proactive participation including persons with disabilities is one of the priority issues.

 

          Furthermore, Japan continues to commit itself in international cooperation in this area. One example of Japan’s cooperation is our “job coaching” projects. These projects train and authorize “job coaches,” who assist persons with disabilities to obtain jobs which are matched to their abilities. So far, more than 870 persons with disabilities have been assisted with their employment needs, and have obtained positions in many fields such as retailing, hospitality industry and manufacturing sector.

 

Mr. President,

 

          Last but not least, Japan submitted its initial report to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities last year. And we are in the process of drafting its Fourth Basic Plan for Persons with Disabilities.

 

          The Government of Japan will continue its efforts to protect and promote the rights of persons with disabilities, cooperating with the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and other various stakeholders.

 

I thank you for your kind attention.