United Nations Third Committee: MIKTA statement at the Interactive Dialogue: Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities and Chair of the Committee on the rights of persons with disabilities 23 October 2026
Statement Delivered by Ms. Beth Delaney, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations, on behalf of the MIKTA group.
23 October 2026
Thank you, Chair.
I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the MIKTA group: Mexico, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, Türkiye and my own country Australia.
Special Rapporteur – we welcome the report's focus on inclusive humanitarian assistance.
And we echo its warning that hard-won gains risk being reversed unless the rights, perspectives and needs of persons with disabilities are systematically embedded across humanitarian reform efforts.
When conflict and crises emerge, persons with disabilities face persistent and disproportionate structural barriers to accessing humanitarian assistance.
We emphasise the importance of addressing discrimination for all persons with disabilities.
As humanitarian reform efforts progress, disability equity and human rights must be front of mind. It is imperative that reform efforts recognise persons with disabilities as rights-holders, leaders and partners in preparedness, response and recovery efforts.
We highlight the critical need to integrate disability inclusion into disaster risk reduction, climate adaptation and resilience-building strategies, recognising that persons with disabilities are disproportionately affected by environmental emergencies and are also essential agents of change.
Special Rapporteur – what are some critical safeguards to ensure the humanitarian reset delivers greater equality, agency and accountability for persons with disabilities?