UN AGREES ON DISABILITY TREATY TEXT

By Geoff Adams-Spink

An international treaty that will give greater rights and freedoms to
disabled people around the world has been agreed at the United Nations.

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was adopted in
New York.

This is the first human rights treaty of the 21st Century, and the UN hopes
it will mark a significant improvement in the treatment of disabled people.

The world's disabled population is estimated to be 650 million.

''It [the convention] will force states to develop a different way of thinking about disability issues"  said Don MacKay of New Zealand."Once you get the paradigm shift... and people adopt a 'can do' rather than a 'can't do' approach, a whole lot of other things flow from there."

New rights and freedoms

The treaty is expected to be adopted by the UN General Assembly during its
next session, which starts in September.

Those countries that sign up to it will have to enact laws and other
measures to improve disability rights and also agree to get rid of
legislation, customs and practices that discriminate against disabled
people.

Currently only 45 countries have specific legislation that protects disabled
people.

The convention recognises that a change of attitude is vital if disabled
people are to achieve equal status - countries that ratify it will be
obliged to combat negative stereotypes and prejudices and to promote an
awareness of people's abilities and contribution to society.

Countries will also have to guarantee that disabled people will have a right
to life on an equal basis with others.

Access to public spaces and buildings as well as transport, information and
communications will also have to be improved.

US abstention

Most notable among the countries that will not be signing the convention is
the United States.

It says that it already has comprehensive laws on disability rights.

But this is not something that concerns Maria Raina, co-ordinator of the international disability caucus which has been part of the negotiations. "I think the USA is going to sign the convention as it did with other conventions," she told the BBC News website.

"When you sign the convention you are agreeing to the principles even if you
don't have the obligation to apply them."

'Welcome step'

The treaty has been welcomed by the UK's statutory body, the Disability
Rights Commission (DRC).

"The greatest significance will be a 'levelling up' of provision across the
world, and the creation of civil and human rights for disabled people," said
DRC chairman Bert Massie.

Given the economic, social and cultural differences across the world, it
will be some years before the minimum standards set out in the convention
will be universally applied.

But for campaigners who say that for too long the world's largest minority
has been pushed to the margins of society, it will certainly be
seen as a welcome first step.



28.08.2006