How the Strategy will be carried out
Achieving practical action
The Disability Action Plan will be the primary vehicle for implementation of this Strategy. Future plans will:
- focus on high priority and significant actions for one or more government agencies (this will help make sure the Plan is manageable and easy to understand)
- present a complete picture of the priorities in implementing the Strategy
- support effective learning across government agencies, particularly in the application of the principles and approaches that are applied throughout the Strategy.
Future Plans will continue to cover a four-year period and they will be updated at the mid-point to ensure priorities remain relevant (that is after two years). Issues like funding or legislation need to be considered in the context of actions in the Plans rather than in this Strategy.
There are other strategies and plans that are also relevant to the Disability Strategy.
Governance
As a Government Strategy, decisions on implementation will be made by Cabinet. These will be informed by the existing governance mechanisms for the Disability Action Plan: the Chief Executives’ Group on Disability Issues (and associated Senior Officials Group) and Disabled People’s Organisations.
Monitoring implementation
The Independent Monitoring Mechanism (IMM) will help provide an independent perspective on progress toward achieving the outcomes and goals of the Disability Strategy.
The IMM was established by the Government in 2011. It fulfils an obligation for the Government under the Convention to have an independent mechanism to promote, protect and monitor implementation under Article 33 of the Convention. It is made up of the Human Rights Commission, Office of the Ombudsman and the Convention Coalition Monitoring Group (a group of Disabled People’s Organisations).
The Strategy is the primary vehicle for progressive realisation of the Convention. Therefore it is appropriate for the IMM to provide an independent perspective on implementation of the Strategy. This will not however, be seen to limit in any way, the IMM’s mandate to monitor the Convention.
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities – making rights a reality
Every four years, the Government reports to and receives Concluding Observations from the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Concluding Observations recognise areas of good progress but also include recommendations on things that need to be improved.
The Concluding Observations will be included as part of the public consultation process to develop and update the Disability Action Plans. Recommendations from the IMM will also be considered as part of this consultation alongside those from the Committee.
Making the Concluding Observations and recommendations an integral part of implementation of the Disability Strategy will help make the rights of disabled people a reality.
Consultation
Every two years there will be public consultation to inform the development or update of the Disability Action Plans. There is a lot that needs to be done to make this Strategy work, and it is important that priorities for action are informed by what disabled people and the community says is most important to them.
The process for public consultation will reflect the diversity of the disability community as well as the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the Convention (including Articles 4.3).
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