[vicsireland] Re: Fw: [Irl-dean] Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilitiesset to enter into force on 3 May 08 (FYI)

  • From: Mark Magennis <Mark.magennis@xxxxxxx>
  • To: vicsireland@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Wed, 9 Apr 2008 09:46:29 +0100

Maureen,

You're right that the ratification of the UN Convention isn't going to lead to any wholesale social change overnight but, believe me, it will have an effect. You can see the effect it is already having in the accessibility of Information Technologies. The UN Convention introduces e-accessibility as a fundamental right for the first time. Rights are taken seriously at the level of policy formulation, regulation and legislation and the existence of the Convention is being used to strengthen the case for the European e-accessibility regulation and legislation which is currently being worked on and which will find it's way into Ireland as National legislation and public policy. This kind of thing is constantly happening and has resulted, for example, in significant improvements in the accessibility of public websites over the last 5 years. The UN Convention strengthens the basis for future further improvements in this and in other domains.

So maybe it's a case of not much change being better than even less change, but every little bit helps and the UN Convention helps.

Mark

On 9 Apr 2008, at 09:17, Maureen Newelll wrote:

I wouldn't get overjoyed about this Gerry. They can ratify all the Conventions they like but little will change at grassroots level. The vast majority of the population lack empathy and you cannot instill this quality into an individual, they either have it or not. On paper this all sounds wonderful but the vast majority will still have the usual prejudices meeted out to them.

Maureen.
----- Original Message -----
From: Gerry Ellis
To: vicsireland@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Wednesday, April 09, 2008 8:03 AM
Subject: [vicsireland] Fw: [Irl-dean] Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilitiesset to enter into force on 3 May 08 (FYI)

Hi,

I thoughyt this might be of interest to some here.

Thanks to Mark Magennis.



Take care,

Gerry Ellis
t/a Feel The BenefIT

Tel   +353-(0)1 282-7791
Mob   +353-(0)85 716-8665
Email gerry.ellis@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

If you don't know where you're going,
How will you know when you get there?
----- Original Message -----
From: Mark Magennis
To: Irl-DeAN
Sent: Tuesday, April 08, 2008 2:34 PM
Subject: [Irl-dean] Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilitiesset to enter into force on 3 May 08 (FYI)

WITH 20 RATIFICATIONS, LANDMARK DISABILITY TREATY SET TO ENTER INTO FORCE ON 3 MAY Ecuador today became the twentieth country to ratify the landmark Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which is now set to enter into force on 3 May. The Convention needed 20 ratifications to take effect.

The Convention, the first new human rights treaty of the twenty- first century, is designed to protect the rights of the world’s estimated 650 million people with disabilities.

With 126 countries having signed the Convention since 30 March 2007, and 71 having signed its Optional Protocol, which will enter into force at the same time, the treaty will allow individuals and groups to petition for relief. The Convention takes effect 30 days after the twentieth ratification, and a Conference of the Parties must be convened within six months.

Progress towards moving the Convention into force has been relatively quick and has been attributed to the strong commitment of United Nations Member States, as well as advocacy by the global disability movement, which was instrumental in drafting the pact. Jamaica was the first country to ratify the Convention, and this week, Jordan, Tunisia and Ecuador ratified it, providing a sufficient number of parties for the Convention to enter into force.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon congratulated the States that have already ratified the Convention so far. = 3The Convention, together with its Optional Protocol, is deeply rooted in the firm commitment of the international community to rectifying the egregious neglect and dehumanizing practices that violate the human rights of persons with disabilities.” He added: “This is a historic moment in the history of our quest for realization of the universal human rights for all persons.”


As many as two thirds of United Nations Member States have no legal protection for people with disabilities, according to the United Nations Focal Point on Disability, Akiko Ito, even though they comprise 1 in 10 of the global population.

The Convention seeks to “ensure that people with disabilities enjoy the universal human rights that everyone else does in their respective societies”.

Adopted by the General Assembly in December 2006, the Convention was one of the fastest treaties ever negotiated at the United Nations. The pact provides that States which ratify it must enact laws and other measures to improve disability rights and also abolish legislation, customs and practices that discriminate against persons with disabilities.

The Convention does not see disability as an unchangeable medical condition, but as the result of interaction between people and removable hurdles. “Disability,” it says, “results from the interaction between persons with impairments and attitudinal and environmental barriers that hinders their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.”


The Convention has prompted action even before entering into force. Jamaica has drafted a National Disability Act, while Panama and Trinidad and Tobago has incorporated the Convention into national legislation. Activists around the world have called on their Governments to ratify and implement the treaty.

The United Nations will convene a special ceremony in the General Assembly Hall to mark the Convention’s entry into force, in New York on 12 May, with participants from Governments, United Nations agencies and civil society.

For more information, please contact Franck Kuwonu, Department of Public Information, tel.: +1 212 963 8264, e-mail: Kuwonu@xxxxxx; or Sayre Nyce, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, tel.: +1 917 367 8090, e-m ail nyce@xxxxxxx




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Dr. Mark Magennis
Director of the Centre for Inclusive Technology (CFIT)
National Council for the Blind of Ireland
Whitworth Road, Dublin 9, Republic of Ireland
www.cfit.ie

mark.magennis@xxxxxxx   tel: +353 (0)71 914 7464



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