In response to a report released Thursday, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has claimed that the UK Government has “failed to make necessary reforms” to help disabled people in the UK, as recommended by the UN in 2016, leading to “many disabled people continu[ing] to face discrimination in the UK.”

The report, produced by the United Kingdom Independent Mechanism (UKIM) and submitted to the UN, was written as a follow up to a 2016 set of eleven recommendations by the UN to help further protect disabled people in the UK. It evaluated how effectively these recommendations have been implemented in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The EHRC concluded that “despite limited or some progress in certain areas” they are “disappointed to see no progress against some other recommendations.” Areas of “no progress” included: a failure to ensure disabled people are provided appropriate legal advice and support, a failure to set up a system to monitor the UK’s human rights obligations and a failure to monitor the impact of different policies on the rights of disabled people.

This “slow progress” towards implementing the UN’s recommendations has led to criticism by charities and organizations supporting those with disabilities. Sense, a charity supporting people with complex disabilities, condemned the government’s “inaction,” stating that they “cannot ignore the facts; we need action to improve the lives of disabled people now.”

Commenting on the report, the Chairperson of the EHRC, Baroness Kishwer Falkner, urged the UK government to “address the problems faced by disabled people and take action to address the UN’s recommendations from 2016.” She emphasized that “disabled people must be treated with dignity, respect and fairness,” and no progress can be made if the UN’s recommendations are ignored.