STATEMENT BY REPRESENTATIVE OF IDA AND THE IDC
31 MARCH 2007
BY MR. GIDION KAINO MANDESI
On this momentous occasion of the Signing of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, it is my honor to address this distinguished audience on behalf of the International Disability Alliance (IDA) - a network of eight global democratic organizations of persons with disabilities - and the International Disability Caucus (IDC) ? a coalition of more than 70 international, regional and national disabled persons' organizations and their allies. We congratulate all states that have taken the significant step of becoming the first signatories of the Convention and the Optional Protocol.
The underlying principles of the Convention - dignity, non-discrimination, full participation, respect, equality and accessibility - reinforce the notion that all persons with disabilities should be guaranteed the same rights and opportunities as others in society, thus reflecting a crucial paradigm shift to a human rights approach to disability. The Convention holds tremendous promise for approximately 650 million persons with disabilities worldwide: the promise of a society without discrimination in education, employment and other areas of life; the promise of information and physical space freely accessible to all; the promise of equal recognition before the law, where supported decision making replaces guardianship; the promise of full inclusion in communities, regardless of age, gender, geographic location, type of disability, or whether the disability is "visible" or "invisible" and not readily apparent.
The next step to full rights requires duty-bearers at all levels to undertake legislative and administrative steps and allocate adequate resources, including a commitment to: raise awareness of the human rights of persons with disabilities; ensure that national legislation, policies and practices have no provisions, such as coercive mental health and incapacity laws, that are discriminatory; create comprehensive national action plans as blueprints for implementation of the Convention; mainstream disability into the development agenda; officially recognize Braille and sign language; appreciate the supportive role that families can play, especially in the lives of persons with a significant intellectual disability; and involve organizations of persons with disabilities in all stages of the implementation process.
Throughout this journey, organizations of persons with disabilities and other civil society members have actively taken part by sharing our lived experiences and expertise, from the Working Group that produced the first draft of the Convention to the last stages of the Ad Hoc Committee negotiations. We have shown that all of us - civil society, governments, UN agencies and national human rights institutions - can work together effectively, overcoming obstacles to achieve great results. Based on the experience so far, we are heartened that the voices of persons with disabilities will continue to be heard and respected in all levels of the monitoring process, particularly in the formation of the treaty body composed of highly qualified experts with disabilities. A deliberate effort should also be made to ensure that persons with disabilities are represented in the highest decision and policy making institutions at the national and international levels.
To guarantee that the voices of persons with disabilities are truly representative, including the millions of persons with disabilities living in poverty, we encourage States to continue funding the participation of disability organizations from the South in the Conference of States Parties. Disability and poverty are linked in a reciprocal way -- disability causes poverty and poverty causes disability. The disability-poverty link is compounded by multiple forms of discrimination experienced by women with disabilities and indigenous persons with disabilities. The incorporation of disability in UN agency programming is fundamental to addressing these economic and social disparities. Funds such as UNIFEM and UNICEF have been very successful in raising awareness and improving the lives of women and children around the world. As a long-term objective, a stand-alone fund with a human rights-based approach to disability can effectively mobilize international resources towards implementation of the Convention.
We have reached a milestone in ensuring that the Convention becomes a legally binding instrument that reflects great progress for all persons with disabilities. We, therefore, strongly encourage States to not only sign but also ratify the Convention and the Optional Protocol, as expeditiously as possible and without any reservations or declarations.
We wish to thank the States that are signing today, as well as the States that have supported the Convention, collaborated with civil society representatives and contributed to the UN Voluntary Fund. We thank Ambassador Luis Gallegos of Ecuador and Ambassador Don MacKay of New Zealand for their leadership of the Ad Hoc Committee. We appreciate the Members of the Bureau and the Secretariat for promoting the involvement of the disability community throughout the Convention process. We also appreciate the sign language interpretation provided today, and hope to continue to work together to improve accessibility - both in terms of physical space and information -- in the UN. We also recognize the UN Special Rapporteur on Disability, Sheikha Hissa Al-Thani, for her valuable support.
Thank you again for this opportunity to express the appreciation of the international community of persons with disabilities, and we look forward to continuing along this path toward a society in which persons with disabilities enjoy full rights and participation - a society where the promise of this important Convention becomes a reality. Nothing About Us Without Us!