[Nfbkabs] FW: Disability Treaty Set to Correct Injustices Opens For Signature

[Shannon Caldwell]

	FYI 
Thought you might want to know about this. 
Shannon Caldwell 


-----Original Message-----
From: Paula Caldwell [mailto:prc at mis.net] 
Sent: Friday, March 16, 2007 8:09 PM
To: sjgc at mis.net
Subject: FW: Disability Treaty Set to Correct Injustices Opens For Signature

	

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-justice at jfanow.org [mailto:owner-justice at jfanow.org] On Behalf
Of Justice For All Moderator
Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2007 4:12 PM
To: justice at jfanow.org
Subject: Disability Treaty Set to Correct Injustices Opens For Signature

Disability Treaty Set to Correct Injustices Opens For Signature
	
March 13, 2007

United Nations
Media Advisory

United Nations - A new human rights treaty that would protect the
rights of the world's 650 million persons with disabilities will 
be opened for signature at the United Nations on 30 March.

Over 40 countries have already indicated they will sign the 
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities when it 
opens for signature and ratification by States and regional 
integration organizations at a solemn ceremony in the UN General 
Assembly hall. Many more are expected to announce their intention 
in the coming weeks leading up to the signing event.

The event takes place from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the General 
Assembly. General Assembly President Sheikha Haya Rashed Al 
Khalifa will chair the ceremony, which will feature among the 
speakers UN Deputy-Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro, UN High 
Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour and a spokesperson for 
the International Disability Caucus. UN Legal Counsel Nicolas 
Michel will open the convention for signature.

A High-Level Dialogue on implementing the Convention follows 
starting at 3:00 pm and includes speakers and panelists covering 
both political and substantive issues.

At its core, the convention ensures that persons with disabilities 
enjoy the same human rights as everyone else, and are able to lead 
their lives as fully-fledged citizens who can make valuable 
contributions to society if given the same opportunities. It 
covers rights such as equality, non-discrimination and equal 
recognition before the law; liberty and security of the person; 
accessibility, personal mobility and independent living; right to 
health, work and education; and participation in political and 
cultural life. The treaty will enter into force when ratified by 
20 countries.

Disability organizations from around the world are expected to 
attend the ceremony. It was the disability community that came 
together at the global level to fight for a specific treaty that 
would recognize their rights. The disability community quickly 
organized itself into the International Disability Caucus - a 
coalition of 70 international, regional and national 
organizations. Countries and the disability community worked 
together at the UN to create a treaty that ensures that persons 
with disabilities finally enjoy all the rights and 
responsibilities that others in society take for granted.

The convention demands real change through effective legislation 
and a shift in attitude. The 45 countries that have enacted some 
legislation in this area have already demonstrated that change in 
the area of rights for persons with disabilities takes place far 
more rapidly when there are laws.

The convention says implementation will be progressive, and does 
not call on budget-strapped governments to pay for things they 
cannot afford. But it sets out minimum measures to respect basic 
human dignity, as well as longer-term goals to achieve full 
integration.

Also opening for signature is an 18-article Optional Protocol on
Communications, which will allow petitioning by individuals and 
groups to a committee of experts once all national recourse 
procedures had been exhausted.

For information, please visit please visit:
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/

or contact
Edoardo Bellando, Tel. (212) 963-8275, email: bellando at un.org, or
Daniel Shepard, Tel. (212) 963-9495, email: shepard at un.org.
 
Source: United Nations
________________________________________________________________

For more international news issues, see:
http://www.aapd.com/News/international/indexinternational.php

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