On 18 August 2023, the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities marked the one-year anniversary of its adoption of the Guidelines on Deinstitutionalization, including in Emergencies. The official recording is available on UN Web TV.
GC-DI was formed around the collective goal of promoting deinstitutionalization and the right to independent living and inclusion in the community under Article 19 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The process leading to the Guidelines was unique in the level of input and participation from persons with disabilities and civil-society organizations worldwide. GC-DI facilitated regional consultations and remained closely involved at every stage. For the first time, the Guidelines provide comprehensive guidance to States Parties on advancing full deinstitutionalization without delay.
One year after adoption, change remained slow in many countries and in some cases retrogressive steps were being taken. Mobilization by organizations of persons with disabilities and survivors of institutionalization had not yet been matched by countries maintaining large-scale systems of disability-based institutionalization.
Law reform in alignment with the Convention also remained slow. Substituted decision-making, forced detention, and forced treatment continued in many places. Deinstitutionalization must not become a checklist exercise in which segregated services are relabelled as “independent” or “transitional” living.
Institutions have never been safe and cannot guarantee the right to independent living and inclusion. Services must respond to the needs and wishes of persons with disabilities, who must have genuine choice and control.
Governments and donors must invest in community support and inclusive environments. Humanitarian aid and development cooperation must be better coordinated, particularly in emergencies, and the United Nations must align its agencies and resolutions with the Guidelines.
Success requires the Guidelines to become a fundamental basis for policy worldwide, with stronger representation of persons with disabilities from the Global South. GC-DI will continue disseminating the Guidelines and working to make deinstitutionalization a reality.
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