A/HRC/57/47 I. Introduction 1. Worldwide, there are an estimated 1.3 billion persons with disabilities, or 16 per cent of the world’s population.1 While there is a lack of disaggregated global data on Indigenous persons with disabilities, it is estimated that they number more than 54 million.2 The rate of disability among Indigenous Peoples is higher because of many factors, including dangerous working conditions, lower standards of living and the poor quality of the medical services available to them. 2. Indigenous persons with disabilities often experience multiple forms of individual and structural discrimination that create barriers to the full enjoyment of their rights, based on their Indigenous identity and their disability. Intersecting layers of discrimination can limit their access to the justice system, development programmes and funds, education, employment, health care, communications, and transportation services. Owing to marginalization, poverty and “invisibility”, Indigenous persons with disabilities are not always able to voice their concerns and exercise their rights. 3. The Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples identified the theme of the present report after hearing directly from Indigenous persons with disabilities about the challenges that they face in exercising their rights. Pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 51/16, the Special Rapporteur is to pay special attention to the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Indigenous persons with disabilities in carrying out his mandate. 4. The present report builds upon the findings and reports of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities and the International Labour Organization. 5. In the preparation of this report, the Special Rapporteur issued a call for input to Member States, Indigenous Peoples’ organizations, academics and non-governmental organizations.3 He expresses his gratitude to all those who provided written contributions, as well as everyone who participated in and contributed to the consultations held online on 2 and 3 May 2024. The Special Rapporteur also reviewed official United Nations documents and thematic studies and drew on information gathered during country visits. II. International legal instruments 6. International legal standards recognizing the rights of Indigenous persons with disabilities are set out in numerous instruments, including but not limited to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the International Labour Organization Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169), the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. 7. Articles 21 and 22 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples recognize the right of Indigenous persons with disabilities to the improvement of their socioeconomic conditions, education, employment, housing, sanitation, health and social security without discrimination. They further stipulate that States shall take effective measures and, where appropriate, special measures to ensure continuing improvement of their economic and social conditions. 8. Indigenous persons with disabilities enjoy not only individual rights but also collective rights as members of communities of Indigenous Peoples, as established in international human rights instruments such as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169). 1 2 3 GE.24-12379 See https://www.who.int/health-topics/disability. E/C.19/2013/6, para. 2. See https://www.ohchr.org/en/calls-for-input/2024/call-inputs-indigenous-persons-disabilities. 3