Countries race to finish UN disabled rights treaty

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Countries raced against the
clock on Friday to finish drafting a United Nations treaty to
protect the rights of the world’s 650 million disabled people
before the end of the day.

A U.N. General Assembly committee that includes all 192
U.N. member-nations has been working since 2001 on a treaty to
promote and protect the rights of people with disabilities,
with the latest — and hopefully final — two-week working
session set to end on Friday evening.

As delegates scrambled to complete the handful of
outstanding issues, New Zealand Ambassador Don MacKay, the
committee chairman, warned they would have to reconvene in
January if they failed to wrap up their work on time.

“I am appealing to colleagues to show maximum flexibility,”
MacKay said.

Once a draft is completed, it would have to be approved by
a vote of the U.N. General Assembly, which opens its 61st
session next month, before being submitted to governments for
signature and then ratification.

The convention, which likely would take effect in 2008 or
2009 if drafting is completed this month, would require nations
ratifying it to adopt laws prohibiting discrimination on the
basis of any form of disability, from blindness to mental
illness. Nations also would have to eliminate any
discriminatory laws.

It would oblige governments to fight stereotypes and
prejudices and promote awareness of the capabilities of people
with disabilities and their contribution to society,

It would protect disabled newborns’ right to life, and
ensure that children with disabilities are not separated from
their parents against their will.

Negotiators said most of the major disputes had been
resolved.

Among the sticking points was a proposal to require
governments to provide specified protections to disabled people
living under foreign occupation — a reference to Palestinians
living under Israeli occupation.

Another would require nations to provide the same sexual
and reproductive health care to the disabled as provided to
other population groups — language that could trigger
opposition from anti-abortion delegates.