A/70/297 community, in line with article 19 of the Convention, which creates an obligation for States to ensure that persons with disabilities enjoy: choice on an equal basis with others about life-shaping decisions (e.g., where and with whom they wish to live), and thus control over their own lives; access to necessary support services as a condition for free choice on an equal basis with others (including the provision of personal assistance); and access to all community services available to others, including in the context of the labour market, housing, transportation, health care and education. III. Disability-inclusive social protection A. Poverty and disability 25. Poverty affects persons with disabilities in a disproportionate manner. They are overrepresented among the poorest in the world, 12 experiencing higher rates of poverty and deprivation, and lower levels of income than the general population. 13 A study using comparable data and methods across 15 developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean found a significant association between disability and multidimensional poverty in at least 11 of the countries studied. 14 Persons with disabilities are also at a significantly higher risk of relative income poverty in most countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), with poverty rates for persons with disabilities exceeding 30 per cent in some countries. 15 Similarly, contributions to the present report illustrate the existence of high poverty rates among persons with disabilities in both developed and developing countries. 26. The exclusion of persons with disabilities from the labour market contributes significantly to explaining these poverty levels. Working -age adults with disabilities experience low employment rates and salaries worldwide. 16 A study in 10 developing countries shows that unemployment and labour inactivity range from 32 to 1 00 per cent among people with disabilities, depending on the level of the impairment. 17 Those who work do so primarily in the informal sector, which increases their likelihood of receiving a wage below the minimum rate and of not being covered by social insurance. Persons with psychosocial and intellectual disabilities are less __________________ 12 13 14 15 16 17 15-12544 N. Groce and others, Poverty and Disability — a Critical Review of the Literature in Low and Middle-income Countries (L. Cheshire Disability and Inclusive Development Centre, 2011); A. Elwan, “Poverty and disability: a survey of the literature” (World Bank, 1999); Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Social Panorama of Latin America 2012 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.13.II.G.6). S. Mitra, A. Posarac and B. Vick, Disability and Poverty in Developing Countries: a Snapshot from the World Health Survey (World Bank, 2011); Eurostat, “Disability statistics: poverty and income inequalities”, available from http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/ Disability_statistics_-_poverty_and_income_inequalities. S. Mitra, A. Posarac and B. Vick. OECD, “Sickness, disability and work: keeping on track in the economic downturn ” (2009). World Health Organization (WHO) and World Bank, World Report on Disability (2011). S. Buckup, “The price of exclusion: the economic consequences of excluding people with disabilities from the world of work”, Employment Working Paper No. 43 (International Labour Office, Geneva, 2009). 9/25