Port Vila – Thursday, 12 June 2025: "Eighteen years after Vanuatu pledged to uphold the rights of people with disabilities, the nation is still falling short on its promises."

Vanuatu may have led the Pacific by ratifying the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) back in 2008, but nearly two decades later, the country is still struggling to meet its commitments. This was the stark warning delivered by National Human Rights Coordinator Albert Nalpini during the closing of a five-day CRPD workshop in Port Vila.”

He said that while policies exist, there’s no real impact on the livelihood of our people with disability. Just signing papers isn’t enough, people with disabilities in Vanuatu are still being left out. The word inclusive society must be translated into action.

Mr. Nalpini called on the government and its stakeholders to stop working separately and start taking real, coordinated action to support disability-inclusive laws, not just make empty promises but making the rights real. A further call for the development of a legislative framework to ensure no one is left behind.

We need to stop relying on paper policies and start taking real action that makes a difference. Vanuatu must work more closely with the Pacific Disability Forum to make sure our laws are truly inclusive and properly enforced.

The CRPD training workshop event brought together 30 participants from around the country, including civil society leaders, disability rights advocates, and a few government officials, though many were absent due to ongoing national budget planning sessions.

Supported by the United Nations Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD), the workshop aimed to strengthen Vanuatu’s capacity to fulfill its CRPD obligations.

UNICEF’s Chief of Field Office in Vanuatu, Eric Durpaire, expressed satisfaction with their collaboration with the Pacific Disability Forum, supported by the Global Disability Fund, to lead a key project advancing disability rights and inclusion in the Pacific. He highlighted that Vanuatu and Kiribati have been chosen to develop full proposals in the next phase of the initiative, underscoring a shared commitment to inclusive development in the region.

One of the workshop’s facilitators, Nelly Caleb from the Vanuatu Disability Promotion and Advocacy Association (VDPA), stressed that the training was more than just a legal exercise it was a call to action. “This workshop isn’t just about understanding the law, she said. “It’s about sparking real, lasting change for people with disabilities in Vanuatu.”

She underscored the need to amplify marginalized voices when we include women and girls with disabilities. We don’t just tick boxes we build lasting changes.