UN-Truth

The General Assembly adopted by consensus yesterday morning the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.  According to the Spokeswoman for the President of the UN General Assembly, ”This is the first human rights convention to be adopted in the twenty-first century and will benefit some 650 million persons living with disabilities across the world … The President of the UN General Assembly Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa said:  ‘from today all Member States have committed to promoting and protecting the human rights, freedom and dignity of all person with disabilities’.  She noted that, with the adoption of the Convention by consensus, the international community would have reached a global consensus allowing the disabled to enjoy the full civil rights to which they are entitled.  She warned, however, that to fully implement this historic agreement, would also require a change in cultural attitudes towards the disabled.  She expressed the hope that the adoption of the Convention would send a clear message to the over 650 million disabled persons around the world, particularly those living in developing countries, that the international community reaffirms the rights and dignity of all people without discrimination.  She said ‘the disabled do not see themselves as being limited in life by their circumstances, so neither should we’.

Filed under: UN General Assembly