Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  It's definitely very essential. The point I was making at the beginning about looking at disability from a comprehensive cross-sectoral approach is that the impact of poverty is highly influential in terms of families' decisions of where resources should go. Unfortunately, in many cases, the drop of opportunities for their children with disabilities to go to school is the one to be prioritized.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  One key thing is to know that we know what needs to happen at the national level in order for systems to be inclusive of children with disabilities. Article 24 was clear. There was a clear, technical global understanding of what is needed. What we are missing are three elements.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  On the data element, it's really very critical to understand that there are two sets of data that we really need from the country level to give us an understanding of the landscape on disability and access to inclusive education. We know that things are improving quite a bit at national levels from the programs we're supporting across the globe when it comes to formal national data, which is the national census.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you so much for this very vital question. There is definitely an opportunity for Canada to stand out in terms of pioneering what is meant in terms of investment in inclusive development and inclusive education. What we see from working towards increased investment on disability more broadly is that the main issue with government investment is that it has this specific small allocation of pots of money that go into disability, which is vitally needed; however, it's not the case across its broader investment.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Definitely. UNRRA plays a major role, in terms of its support for the education system. Other agencies also play a role, such as UNICEF and UNESCO. They were usually key in previous years, in terms of providing that support. Also, I must confirm the role of other agencies, such as the WHO, which makes sure rehabilitation and access to health services are in place.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you. I can relate to that from so many of the countries that we are working in. The main issue is the failure of the system to respond the rights of children with disabilities. It's a quite complex, interconnected issue that we are facing because access to education doesn't only entail being able to enrol in a school and go to school.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you so much for this question. As you rightly said, and in following the news, unfortunately, the situation happening in Gaza right now is appalling, in terms of loss of life and impact on the well-being of thousands of people over there, including children and children with disabilities.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Government must urgently translate their commitments to concrete actions and investment. That's why today's discussion is very vital for us all. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair, for the opportunity to participate in this important discussion. My name is Ola Abualghaib. I am the technical lead for the fund on the rights of persons with disabilities. Our fund is unique, because it provides funding to governments to move ahead in terms of their commitments on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, including article 24 on education, and SDG4 on ensuring inclusive education and equality of education for all learners across their life cycle.