National Statement of Finland at the 19th Conference of the States Parties to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Read the National Statement of Finland, delivered by H.E. Ms. Elina Valtonen, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland, at the 19th Conference of the States Parties to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on 9 June 2026.

Mr. President, Excellencies,

Commitment to human rights is measured not only in laws, but in whether every person can live with dignity, make choices, communicate, participate — and be safe.

This is the promise of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Last year, the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities reviewed Finland for the first time. We welcome the recommendations received and look forward to their implementation together with persons with disabilities and their representative organisations.

We have also started a state-led truth and reconciliation process with deaf and sign-language communities to examine past and present injustices and to build a more equal future.

Mr. President,

In today’s world it is necessary to speak about the disability rights in peace, security and crisis response.

In armed conflicts and humanitarian crises, persons with disabilities are too often left behind: when evacuation is inaccessible, when warnings are not communicated accessibly, when services collapse, or when support networks are lost.

The landmark Security Council resolution 2475 in 2019 recognized the protection of persons with disabilities in armed conflict, but also highlighted their role in conflict prevention, resolution and peacebuilding.

Finland wants to continue this discussion tomorrow in our side event titled “Sustainable Peace is Inclusive: Persons with Disabilities as Contributors to Peace Processes”. The event will focus on how to strengthen the meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in peace processes.

As Finland seeks a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for 2029–2030, we carry this conviction with us: security that is not inclusive is not security for all.

Fostering social cohesion and sustained peaceful coexistence requires inclusion of all sections of society.

Mr. President,

I thank Secretary-General Guterres and Deputy Secretary-General Mohammed for advancing the rights of persons with disabilities. Finland highly values this work and strongly encourages its continuation.

With their leadership, the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy (UNDIS) has remarkably advanced disability inclusion across the UN system. This progress must be secured by making UNDIS a permanent part of UN structures, as recommended in Secretary General’s report last autumn, and funded from the regular budget.

The on-going UN80 reform process is an opportunity for a better UN system, and disability inclusion must remain at its core.

Thank you.