IPU eBulletin header Issue No.4, 30 September 2006   

eBULLETIN --> ISSUE No.4 --> ARTICLE 3   

IPU JOINS UN IN PROMOTING A NEW CONVENTION
ON THE RIGHTS OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

A new Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities has just emerged from the United Nations after four years of negotiations among Member States. The text of the treaty went through a final reading in August and should be submitted for adoption by the United Nations General Assembly later this year. It will be the first human rights convention of the 21st century and will go a long way to protecting the rights and well-being of some 600 million disabled people around the world.

Photo: Dorothy Young Riess MD
In partnership with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the IPU has begun work on a new handbook for parliamentarians that will promote the Convention in national parliaments, shedding light on its overall human rights perspective as well as on its specific provisions, and ultimately help build political momentum toward universal ratification.

Bringing together the various perspectives on disability, the handbook will be written with the input of an editorial board which includes representatives of specialized agencies such as the International Labour Organization, the World Health Organization, and the World Bank, as well as the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), an organization that specializes in defending the right of disabled people to participate in the political process. The editorial board is also composed of members of parliament – some with disabilities themselves - who have worked on these issues in their own countries or internationally.

At a meeting held at the IPU Permanent Observer Office on 14 August, the editorial board discussed a draft outline and work schedule. Most of the writing will take place during autumn with input from all members of the board. The aim is to complete work on the draft by January 2007 and have the handbook ready for distribution in time for the 116th IPU Assembly scheduled to be held later that year.

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