Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

List of issues in relation to the initial report of Iceland *

A.Purpose and general obligations (arts. 1–4)

Please provide updated information on:

(a)Existing mechanisms to ensure that persons with disabilities, through their representative organizations, are involved in legislative and policy decision-making processes;

(b)Constitutional and legislative reviews undertaken or planned to harmonize national legislation with the provisions of the Convention;

(c)The national plan for the implementation of the Convention for the period 2024–2027, including outcome measures, monitoring mechanisms and evaluation of implementation;

(d)The status of the bill on the incorporation of the Convention adopted by the Althingi in 2019, and whether the Convention has been invoked in court decisions, administrative rulings or legal interpretations;

(e)Measures taken or planned to allocate the responsibility for the Convention to the ministry responsible for all other human rights treaties;

(f)Measures taken to ensure a unified approach between the State and municipalities for nationally consistent implementation of the Convention;

(g)Measures taken to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention.

B.Specific rights (arts. 5–30)

Equality and non-discrimination (art. 5)

Please provide information on:

(a)Measures taken to include disability among the prohibited grounds of discrimination in article 65 the Constitution and other relevant national legislation;

(b)The acts on equal treatment, and whether they cover all forms of discrimination on the basis of disability, including the denial of reasonable accommodation and intersectional discrimination;

(c)Measures taken to fully integrate disability as a cross-cutting issue into all national strategies on equality, including gender equality, and systematically address intersectional discrimination in public policies, action plans and budgeting frameworks, including examples of relevant national strategies, action plans, budget allocations and monitoring of implementation that explicitly mainstream disability;

(d)Measures taken to strengthen the mandate of the Equality Complaints Committee, including granting it ex officio investigative powers and enforceable remedies, to ensure accessible and effective redress for persons with disabilities and to provide community awareness programmes on anti-discrimination laws and the complaints process.

Women with disabilities (art. 6)

Please provide information on:

(a)Measures to ensure that the Act on Equal Status and Equal Rights Irrespective of Gender (Act No. 150/2020) applies to the specific situation of women and girls with disabilities;

(b)Measures taken, including affirmative action, to ensure the meaningful participation of women with disabilities and their representative organizations in decision-making on and the evaluation and monitoring of laws and regulations aimed at addressing disability and gender issues, and in the designing, implementation and monitoring of programmes related to gender equality;

(c)Measures taken or planned to develop and implement indicators that reflect the specific situation of women with disabilities, in line with article 6 of the Convention and relevant targets on gender equality of the Sustainable Development Goals, including information on indicator frameworks, data-collection tools and the disaggregation of data by gender and disability, and the use thereof in public monitoring and reporting.

Children with disabilities (art. 7)

Please provide information on:

(a)The implementation of the Act on the Integration of Services in the Interest of Children’s Prosperity (Act No. 86/2021) and whether the formal consultation forum and regional councils have been established, the assessment of the implementation of the action plan in the field of child protection for the period 2019–2022 and measures under the Act and the action plan targeting children with disabilities;

(b)Measures taken to assess and address the impact of ministerial restructuring on the oversight and implementation of the rights of children with disabilities, particularly regarding the division of responsibilities between ministries for children, education and social affairs, and details of the mapping of institutional responsibilities, including coordination mechanisms and accountability structures;

(c)Safeguards in place to ensure that decisions affecting children with disabilities are not based solely on medical diagnoses, but reflect their evolving capacities, rights, will and preferences, including examples of rights-based assessment tools, individualized planning frameworks and staff training protocols used in practice;

(d)Measures taken to ensure that children with disabilities are included in the implementation of the recommendations by the Committee on the Right of the Child that the State Party amend the Youth Act (Act No. 70/2007) to ensure that all municipalities establish youth councils and to clarify their functions, responsibilities and mandates, in accordance with the parliamentary resolution on child-friendly Iceland, and that it ensure that all children can express their opinion and be heard in all decisions affecting them, including in courts and civil proceedings and on decisions regarding custody, contact and asylum, and adopt relevant legislative amendments to ensure that their views are heard and taken into account in such decisions;

(e)Measures taken to monitor and address complaints, rights violations or service failures affecting children with disabilities, and to provide child-accessible complaints mechanisms.

Awareness-raising (art. 8)

Please provide updated information on:

(a)Measures taken to ensure that awareness-raising measures on the standards and principles of the Convention are embedded in all sectors, including in the public sector, education, media, health, employment and justice, and in public procurement practices, curriculum content, training materials for law enforcement personnel and health guidelines on prenatal screening;

(b)Existing regulatory or support mechanisms to ensure inclusive and respectful representation of persons with disabilities in public and private media, including codes of ethics, guidelines for journalists, training materials and monitoring by media regulators or broadcasters;

(c)How persons with disabilities, through their representative organizations, are systematically included in the State Party’s awareness-raising campaigns.

Accessibility (art. 9)

Please provide updated information on:

(a)Measures taken to ensure consistent and enforceable application of accessibility standards and regulations in the built environment in all municipalities, including in rural areas;

(b)Measures taken to transpose into domestic law Directive (EU) 2016/2102 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 October 2016 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications and public sector bodies;

(c)Ministerial responsibility for digital inclusion and the measures taken to address the inaccessibility of e-government processes, in particular electronic identification;

(d)Measures taken to ensure equal access to public transportation throughout the State Party, including the provision of accessible vehicles, information systems and booking methods, and the availability of accessible public and paratransit services.

Right to life (art. 10)

Please provide information on legislative and policy measures to investigate, document and report deaths of persons with disabilities in institutional settings, including residential and psychiatric facilities, to identify systemic neglect and service failures and to collect disaggregated data on mortality rates and life expectancy to track disparities.

Situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies (art. 11)

Please provide updated information on:

(a)The development of the new policy on civil protection and security matters, and whether it is disability-inclusive, and measures to ensure the accessibility of the emergency telephone number 112, camps, shelters, clean water and sanitation and the provision of assistive devices as part of emergency management, including during evacuation, for persons with disabilities, in particular women, children and older persons with disabilities;

(b)Mechanisms to ensure close consultations with and the active involvement of persons with disabilities, through their representative organizations, in the development and implementation of civil protection policy and emergency response frameworks.

Equal recognition before the law (art. 12)

Please provide updated information on:

(a)The status of the bill that was due to be submitted to the Althingi by the end of 2020 based on an audit of the Act on Legal Competence (Act No. 71/1997) by a parliamentary committee, measures taken to review other legislation under which legal capacity may be limited or denied, such as the General Penal Code Act (Act No. 19/1940) and the Patients’ Rights Act (Act No. 74/1997), and measures to replace substitute decision-making with supported decision-making systems that respect the autonomy, will and preferences of persons with disabilities in all areas of life, including with regard to access to financial services and the management of property;

(b)Mechanisms in place to ensure that personal spokespersons and other support providers under the Act on the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Act No. 88/2011) meet the standard within the Convention of respect for the will and preferences of persons with disabilities, rather than respect for their best interests, and information on the regulatory frameworks and procedural guidelines governing spokespersons, including training materials, oversight structures, complaints mechanisms and any evaluations conducted;

(c)How the State Party monitors and regulates the use of informal substitute decision-making by service providers, particularly in group homes or supported residential arrangements, where staff members act on behalf of residents without formal legal authority, and inspections, regulatory standards or recorded cases where such practices have been reviewed or challenged;

(d)Measures taken to ensure that the inaccessibility of electronic identification and other digital authentication tools to persons with disabilities does not result in the need for substitute decision-making.

Access to justice (art. 13)

Please provide updated information on:

(a)Measures taken to ensure that procedural and age-appropriate accommodation is systematically available to persons with disabilities throughout all stages of legal proceedings;

(b)Measures to identify and address multiple and intersecting forms of disadvantage within the justice system to ensure access to justice for all, in particular for women with disabilities who are victims of gender-based violence;

(c)Measures to provide training for police officers, prosecutors, judges and other justice system personnel on the rights of persons with disabilities, including on accessibility of communication, non-discrimination and procedural accommodation;

(d)The provision of “appropriate adults” (h æfur stuðningsaðili) for persons with disabilities under the Code of Criminal Procedure (Act No. 88/2008), including with regard to criteria, responsibilities and appointment.

Liberty and security of person (art. 14)

Please provide updated information on:

(a)Measures taken to review, amend or repeal existing legislation that allows for the deprivation of liberty on the basis of impairment and compulsory treatment, including in the context of mental health and legal competence;

(b)Legislative and policy measures to address provisions governing “legal insanity”, unfitness to stand trial and security detention, which allow for the indefinite detention of persons with disabilities without procedural safeguards;

(c)Measures to address the lack of access to conditional release for prisoners with disabilities on an equal basis with others, and the ongoing detention of prisoners with disabilities after completion of their sentence owing to lack of adequate resources in the community.

Freedom from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (art. 15)

Please provide updated information on:

(a)The status of the bill to amend Act No. 47/2010 to ensure compensation for children with disabilities who were victims of inhuman and degrading treatment in institutions;

(b)Measures taken to address the prevalent use of solitary confinement against children and adults with disabilities in pretrial detention;

(c)Measures taken to protect children and adults with disabilities from harmful practices, such as the use of restrictive practices, aversive behavioural techniques, coercion and forced treatment in psychiatric facilities, social care homes, residential and school settings;

(d)The scope, mandate and complaints mechanisms of the national preventive mechanism and whether it includes oversight, monitoring and reporting of harmful practices against persons with disabilities, such as forced treatment, restrictive practices and impairment-based detention.

Freedom from exploitation, violence and abuse (art. 16)

Please provide updated information on:

(a)The status of revision of the existing legislation to protect persons with disabilities from exploitation, violence and abuse, and the outcome of the assessment of the 28-part action plan on measures against violence and its consequences for the period2019–2022, and whether the action plan takes an intersectional approach and has been extended beyond 2022;

(b)Measures to prevent and respond to all forms of exploitation, violence and abuse of persons with disabilities, including the provision of gender- and age-appropriate complaints mechanisms and accessible victim assistance and support services and the collection of disaggregated data;

(c)Measures taken to implement the recommendations by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women that the State Party adopt a comprehensive law on all forms of gender-based violence against women, in particular domestic violence, establish identification mechanisms, adopt a new parliamentary resolution to combat gender-based violence, including sexual and domestic violence, against women and girls, with a particular focus, inter alia, on women and girls with disabilities, ensure compliance of all police departments with the instructions of the Director of Public Prosecutions on the handling and investigation of sexual offences when the victim is a person with disabilities, and ensure that women and girls with disabilities who are victims of gender-based violence have adequate access to victim support services and shelters.

Protecting the integrity of the person (art. 17)

Please provide information:

(a)On legislative and policy measures to protect women and girls with disabilities from sterilization, contraception and abortion without their free, prior and informed consent, and on adequate access to sexual and reproductive health services and information in accessible formats, including on family planning and protection from sexual abuse;

(b)On legislative and policy measures to protect intersex children from medically unnecessary and deferrable procedures without exception.

Liberty of movement and nationality (art. 18)

Please provide information on:

(a)Measures taken to ensure that persons with disabilities can obtain national identity documents, digital authentication and travel documents independently on an equal basis with others;

(b)The impact on asylum-seekers and refugees with disabilities of amendments to article 33 of the Foreign Nationals Act (Act No. 80/2016), the measures to ensure that migration, asylum and nationality procedures are accessible to and inclusive of persons with disabilities, including children with disabilities, and that “vulnerability” assessments enable the identification of disability and the provision of disability-related support.

Living independently and being included in the community (art. 19)

Please provide information on:

(a)The scope and eligibility of the Act on Services for Persons with Disabilities with Long-term Support Needs (Act No. 38/2018) and the Municipalities’ Social Services Act (Act No. 40/1991), and how they combine to provide a coordinated approach to services, including in rural and small municipalities, to ensure participation and inclusion in society;

(b)Measures to adopt a strategy for deinstitutionalization, to phase out institutional care, address the significant lack of appropriate and accessible housing throughout the State Party and address inconsistent access to community-based support services, in particular in rural areas and small municipalities;

(c)Measures to resolve administrative disputes and inaction between the State and municipalities that result in long waiting times and regional disparities in support and assistance;

(d)Measures to increase access to user-controlled personal assistance, including for persons with intellectual and/or psychosocial disabilities, and to address inconsistent eligibility and application across municipalities.

Personal mobility (art. 20)

Please provide updated information:

(a)On measures to ensure the quality and equal distribution of mobility aids, devices, assistive technologies and forms of live assistance and intermediaries throughout the State Party, and on the outcome of the review of the definition of the term “assistive device”, started in 2019;

(b)On training programmes in mobility and assistive technology for specialist staff working with persons with disabilities, in particular in rural and regional areas.

Freedom of expression and opinion, and access to information (art. 21)

Please provide updated information on:

(a)Measures to ensure that information intended for the general public is provided to persons with disabilities in accessible formats and technologies in a timely manner and without additional cost;

(b)Measures to ensure that public sector policymaking, consultation and decision-making processes use accessible formats of communication, including sign language interpretation, Easy Read and alternative and augmentative communication.

Respect for privacy (art. 22)

Please provide updated information on legal remedies and monitoring mechanisms available to persons with disabilities whose right to privacy has been violated, particularly in cases involving unauthorized data transfer or breach of confidentiality within public institutions, and on measures taken to ensure that persons in institutions are protected from arbitrary or unlawful interference with their privacy and correspondence.

Respect for home and the family (art. 23)

Please provide information on:

(a)Measures to address legal and administrative barriers in child welfare assessments that frame disability as a risk factor resulting in disproportionate State intervention and separation of children from parents with disabilities;

(b)Measures taken to provide parents with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities with adequate and appropriate services and support to prevent the separation of children from their family;

(c)Measures to eliminate discrimination against persons with disabilities, in particular persons with intellectual and/or psychosocial disabilities, in all matters relating to marriage, family, parenthood and relationships, and to ensure their rights on an equal basis with others;

(d)Measures to provide early and comprehensive information, services and support to children with disabilities and their families.

Education (art. 24)

Please provide information on:

(a)Progress on implementation of the Compulsory School Act (Act No. 91/2008) and inclusive education policies, including measures to transition from segregated education pathways, including special schools and classes, to inclusive pedagogical environments, including in rural and regional areas;

(b)Measures to ensure the availability of individualized support, such as personal assistance, assistive technologies and adapted learning materials, for students with disabilities in mainstream schools;

(c)Measures to enable pathways and inclusive transitions from compulsory schooling to upper secondary, vocational and higher education, and measures to ensure that students with disabilities are not limited to narrow vocational or non-degree programmes.

Health (art. 25)

Please provide:

(a)Information on measures to ensure equal access to quality, affordable and accessible healthcare services, including in rural and regional areas, such as measures to ensure that health professionals receive training in disability rights and informed consent, communication strategies and person-centred approaches;

(b)Information on measures to develop gender- and age-appropriate non-coercive, community-based mental health services and support, including in rural and regional areas, that respect the will, preferences, dignity and rights of persons with disabilities;

(c)Disaggregated data on health access and outcomes for children and adults with disabilities, in particular waiting periods for access to mental health services;

(d)Information on measures to provide inclusive sexual and reproductive health services consistently throughout the State Party, in order to ensure the prevention of paternalistic interventions for women and girls with disabilities.

Habilitation and rehabilitation (art. 26)

Please provide information on measures to develop a unified national strategy for habilitation and rehabilitation, in order to provide a comprehensive and coordinated cross-sectoral framework that ensures availability and continuity throughout the State Party regardless of geography, impairment type or age.

Work and employment (art. 27)

Please provide updated information on:

(a)Measures to implement the recommendations by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights that the State Party increase employment opportunities for persons with disabilities, including by providing effective incentives to employers to promote the employment of persons with disabilities and support them when needed in offering reasonable accommodation, and that it conduct an evaluation of the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and the increased use of artificial intelligence on the labour market, with a particular focus on the effects on employment for persons with disabilities;

(b)Measures to ensure employment opportunities and career advancement for persons with disabilities in the labour market, including assistance in finding, obtaining, maintaining and returning to employment, and measures to address the specific disadvantages faced by women with disabilities in gaining and retaining employment;

(c)Measures to develop and resource initiatives for self-employment, entrepreneurship, cooperatives, user-led innovation and peer-driven business models.

Adequate standard of living and social protection (art. 28)

Please provide information on:

(a)The implementation of changes to social security, welfare and social insurance systems that have taken effect since September 2025 and the impact on persons with disabilities;

(b)Measures to address the medicalized and repetitive assessment requirements for eligibility for benefits, support and services;

(c)Strategies for poverty alleviation among the groups most at risk of poverty, including persons with disabilities, and efforts to increase the old-age pension and unemployment and disability benefits;

(d)Measures to address access to accessible and affordable housing, including long waiting times and regional disparities and the lack of oversight of inappropriate housing for persons with disabilities and national monitoring of accessibility standards.

Participation in political and public life (art. 29)

Please provide information on:

(a)The status and impact of the draft bill to amend election laws;

(b)Measures to establish a national policy and monitoring framework to address accessibility barriers across municipalities, including inaccessibility of digital and remote voting options, and to ensure that voting procedures, facilities and materials are appropriate, accessible and easy to use;

(c)Measures to ensure that all persons under guardianship retain their right to vote and are not, in practice, prevented from voting owing to judgments about their capacity to understand the process and to express their will and preferences;

(d)Measures to support persons with disabilities in the development of organizations to facilitate effective representation of persons with disabilities, including women with disabilities and persons with intellectual and/or psychosocial disabilities, in political and public life.

Participation in cultural life, recreation, leisure and sport (art. 30)

Please provide information on:

(a)Measures to implement the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled;

(b)Specific mechanisms for disability inclusion in cultural policy frameworks, and specific measures to ensure that persons with disabilities, including children and women with disabilities, can participate in sports and recreational activities on an equal basis with others;

(c)Measures to support persons with disabilities to develop their artistic potential and specific cultural and linguistic identities, including sign languages and deaf culture.

C.Specific obligations (arts. 31–33)

Statistics and data collection (art. 31)

Please provide information on:

(a)The outcomes of the incorporation of the Washington Group short set of questions on functioning into surveys, and the outcomes of the use of the electronic population census to collect information on persons with disabilities;

(b)Measures to address the lack of disaggregated data and research in order to enable the collection, coordination and dissemination of data, provide an analysis of the situation of persons with disabilities and inform policy measures and the allocation of resources.

International cooperation (art. 32)

Please provide information:

(a)On measures taken to develop and implement a disability-inclusive development strategy;

(b)On measures taken to include organizations of persons with disabilities in decision-making processes relating to international cooperation at the international and regional levels, on policies on development support for developing countries and on the resources available for organizations of persons with disabilities to become partners in development projects.

National implementation and monitoring (art. 33)

Please provide information on:

(a)Measures to designate or establish one or more focal points within the Government for matters relating to the implementation of the Convention;

(b)The scope and mandate of the national human rights institution;

(c)Measures to ensure the meaningful participation of civil society, in particular organizations of persons with disabilities, in the monitoring process.