EC representatives declare the impact of new UN Convention on Disability Rights for EC and Developing Countries

Brussels, 29 March 2007

At a press conference today, the UN, the EC and the disability and development NGOs set down the implications of the new UN Treaty on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which is to be signed by the EC and Member States at an historic ceremony in New York on 30 March 2007.

EC disabililty & development NGO Press Panel - UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with disabilities

Jean-Luc Onckelinx of the United Nations highlighted the unique role and collaboration of the disability NGOs in the drafting of this new UN Convention. It would be the first universal legally binding standard to ensure the rights of persons with disabilities. 40 countries are set to sign the UN Convention at the signing ceremony tomorrow. Mr Onckelinx said that this Convention, a human rights Convention, marked a major shift from a social and welfare perspective to a human rights approach of disability which will have important impact on all legal and policy approaches to the issue.

Max van den Berg MEP, Vice-Chair European Parliament Development Committee, pointed out that, of the 600 million persons with disabilities in the world, 80% of the population of disabled people live in developing countries. This UN Convention was strongly supported by the European Parliament. As a binding Treaty it would require the EC institutions to review their policies and legislations to ensure compliance. Article 32, the International Cooperation Article, of the Convention would require, in particular development cooperation initiatives of EC and member states to be fully inclusive of persons with disabilities. "This is very significant. It is the first time disability has been and will be recognized as a cross-cutting issue in development cooperation and will be have to be addressed as such." The European Parliament would have an important role in supporting NGOs on the monitoring of signature, ratification and implementation of the UN Convention. This task must also be done with ACP partners and with NGOs in the South.

For the European Commission, Rolf Timans, DG External Relations said that the EC signing of this new Convention was a remarkable event - 'it is the first time that the European Community has taken part in negotiations of a UN Convention and the first time the European Community will sign such a Treaty with the EC Member States". All 27 EU member states were planning to sign, although not all would sign at the New York ceremony on 30 March 2007. The next step would be ratification and the European Commission will have to examine the delineation of EC and member state competence and undertaken an internal legislative review to establish where improvements in EC legislation were required. In respect of the new European Human Rights Instrument, there was clear language in support of disability capacity building and addressing human rights abuse and discrimination of persons with disabilities.

Due to his tricycle, Yussuf Zoungra from Burkina Faso can earn his living.

Carlotta Besozzi, Director of the European Disability Forum (EDF) stressed that this new UN Convention will address the discrimination and the human rights abuses that persons with disabilities experience around the world, including in the EU Member States. "This Treaty will be of major relevance also in Europe. All EU Member States have disability legislation but in many of them, disabled people continue to face violation of Human Rights, such as institutionalization, forced sterilization, barriers to education, denied legal capacity or the fact that they cannot make choices about the lives they want to live."

It is welcome that a number of countries will sign the Optional Protocol and it is hoped more will follow. However, EDF Director expressed deep concern that four of the EU member states, Denmark, UK, France and Latvia will not be signing the Optional Protocol of the UN Convention tomorrow. This Optional Protocol provides for individual persons with disabilities to challenge their Governments, within the Committee under the Convention, where they consider their human rights under the Convention to have been violated. "It is a very bad sign", Carlotta Besozzi said, "some of these countries do not want to be accountable to their citizens!"

Marianne Schulze, Human Rights Expert for Light for the World and the International Disability & Development Consortium highlighted the significance of the International Cooperation Article 32, the first stand alone provision on international cooperation included in an international human rights instrument. Marianne Schulze sincerely thanked the European Parliament for its support of Article 32 which was crucial in the negotiation process. Persons with disabilities live predominantly in poverty. Addressing human rights denial of persons with disabilities is fundamental to poverty alleviation and eradication.

Marianne Schulze said that "Article 32 requires that persons with disabilities benefit from overseas development assistance (currently only 2% of persons with disabilities do). It is essential that no development aid is used to build new barriers; for instance it is totally unacceptable for development aid to build inaccessible schools which perpetuate the cycle of poverty and disability"

LIGHT FOR THE WORLD and IDDC looked forward to the European Commission and EU member states work on implementing the Convention to ensure inclusive development in their programmes and strategies on poverty reduction, Marianne Schulze said.

For further information please contact: Sophie Beaumont tel+ 322 275 0085 email: sophie.beaumont@light-for-the-world.net

Facts on the UN Convention and on persons with disabilities: http://www.un.org/disabilities/convention/facts.shtml

Press Release - EC presents the impact of new UN Convention Disability Rights Press Release