27 August 2006 After five years of negotiations, countries meeting at United Nations Headquarters in New York have agreed on a new treaty to protect the rights of persons with disabilities.
“This is the first convention of this magnitude for this century,” UN General
27 August 2006 After five years of negotiations, countries meeting at United Nations Headquarters in New York have agreed on a new treaty to protect the rights of persons with disabilities.
“This is the first convention of this magnitude for this century,” UN General Assembly President Jan Eliasson said after the agreement was reached late Friday. He told the negotiators that they were conveying to the world “the message that we want to have a life with dignity for all and that all human beings are all equal.”
“This marks a great day for the UN and for persons with disabilities,” said New Zealand's Ambassador Don MacKay, who chaired the talks through its final sessions. “It's a good convention and it will make a difference for millions of people.”
The successful completion of the treaty, after a day of intense negotiations and compromises that capped years of effort, was met with applause by well over a hundred government delegations and hundreds of representatives of disability organizations who participated in the process of crafting the 40-article pact.
Proponents of the co