A/HRC/44/41 the refugee law initiative of the University of London and the Global Migration Centre of the University of Geneva, and in training events organized by various United Nations agencies, including the Asia-Pacific regional training course for national human rights institutions organized by OHCHR and the Asia-Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions in Bangkok in September. 11. To mainstream the human rights of internally displaced persons into the United Nations system, the Special Rapporteur, a standing invitee to the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, participated in its regular Principals meetings, held in Geneva in May and December, and various other activities, while bilateral cooperation with Committee members continued at the global, regional and country levels. The Special Rapporteur also engages closely with the High-level Panel on Internal Displacement established by the SecretaryGeneral, in accordance with its terms of reference. 12. To contribute to the protection of the human rights of internally displaced persons during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Special Rapporteur has issued relevant press statements of her own and endorsed those of other special procedure mandate holders.5 She also endorses the related guidelines issued by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee. III. The rights of internally displaced persons with disabilities A. Introduction 13. In recent years, there has been increased global attention paid to closing the inclusion gap for persons with disabilities and ensuring that they enjoy their human rights without discrimination. The adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2006 introduced a new rights paradigm for persons with disabilities, shifting policy from a charitable and medical approach to a rights-based one. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development emphasizes that no one should be left behind and that those who are furthest behind should be supported first. 14. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about 15 per cent of the world’s population have a disability.6 Applying this estimate to the 45.7 million persons internally displaced worldwide by conflict and violence at the end of 2019 means that about 6.8 million of them could have a disability.7 Millions more are displaced by disasters and the adverse effects of climate change every year, so this figure could be much higher. 15. Persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. Disability is understood as a social construct resulting from the interaction between persons with actual or perceived impairments and attitudinal, environmental and institutional barriers. 8 Persons with disabilities are not a homogeneous group; they include a diverse range of persons with different impairments and support needs that intersect with their age, gender and other identities. 16. An estimated 46 per cent of older persons, 20 per cent of women and 10 per cent of children have a disability.9 In forced displacement contexts, an even higher percentage of 5 6 7 8 9 Available from www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=25763&LangID=E and www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=25786&LangID=E. See WHO, “Disability and health”, 16 January 2018. See Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, Global Report on Internal Displacement, 2020 (May 2020). Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, art. 1. See Inter-Agency Standing Committee, Guidelines: Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action (July 2019). 5