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80 countries sign UN pact on disabled people's rights
Mar 31, 2007 - 9:38:37 AM
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The US and Russia have not yet signed the measure, but China, France and Britain signed the document Friday. These nations are the five UN Security Council permanent members with veto power.
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By DPA,
[RxPG] New York, March 31 - Eighty governments have signed a convention protecting the rights of people with disabilities, opening the possibility that it could soon enter into force.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour said in reaction to the support for the convention Friday that it was a 'very powerful statement' from governments.
'Some of us who were celebrating today are going to have to start working pretty hard, first with those who will have to ratify the convention,' she said.
Arbour said more countries are expected to come forward to sign the convention and those who have signed will have to enact national legislation to ratify it. The convention will enter into force once 20 governments have ratified it.
The convention is designed to protect the human rights of an estimated 650 million people around the world with disabilities. It was adopted by the UN General Assembly last year, marking a sea-change in the perceptions of people living with disabilities and reinforcing their power to enhance their lives.
At the core of the convention are provisions upholding human rights and the ability to lead a normal life and contribute fully to society.
Franz Theonnes, Germany's parliamentary state secretary of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, and German UN Ambassador Thomas Matussek, signed the convention on behalf of the European Union.
The US and Russia have not yet signed the measure, but China, France and Britain signed the document Friday. These nations are the five UN Security Council permanent members with veto power.
The signing took place in the UN General Assembly when the document was presented to all 192 UN members.
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