The United Nations (UN) held its fourth annual conference to discuss the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
The CRPD is a human rights treaty establishing international legal standards for governments and international governmental organizations to promote equal rights for people with disabilities. The CRPD addresses issues such as health, gender equality, education, international cooperation and standard of living.
There are 103 ratifications of the Convention and 149 signatories. The UN General Assembly adopted the CRPD in December 2006. It came into force in May 2008. The U.S. signed the treaty in 2009 and has not yet ratified it.
The Fourth Conference of States Parties took place from September 7 to 9 at UN headquarters. The theme of the conference was “Enabling development, realizing the Convention through participation, employment and international cooperation.”
The events included two roundtables on the topics “Realizing the CRPD through international cooperation” and “Ensuring effective and full participation in political and public life.” Sub-themes included “Political and Civil Participation” and “Work and Employment.” An interactive dialogue on implementation of the Convention was also included. Hundreds of delegates participated in the event.
At a press conference the night before the conference began, delegates reflected on prior accomplishments and drew attention to the additional work that is needed to achieve the CRPD’s goals, focusing on the employment of people with disabilities.
The Permanent Mission of Sweden chaired this year’s event. Maria Larsson, Sweden’s Minister for Children and the Elderly, joined Swedish delegate Mårten Grunditz and Ronald Clive McCallum, chair of the CRPD at the press conference.
McCallum called for a greater investment in employment services. “What we want is more money spent on programmes that will get us out of sheltered workshops and homes and into full-time employment, especially during troubled economic times,” he said in a press release.
“It is only through employment that we can play full roles as citizens in our countries. It is only through employment that we can use our talents to contribute to the better of society. It is only through employment that we can support ourselves and our families,” McCallum added.
Larsson noted the importance of upgrading transportation systems and buildings to ensure full accessibility for people with disabilities. She also called on the need to dismantle barriers and change attitudes that have kept people with disabilities from participating fully in the workforce.
Daniela Bas, director of the Division for Social Policy and Development at the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs stressed the long road ahead towards ensuring equal opportunity.
“It can take decades to change attitudes and behaviors deeply ingrained in cultures,” she said in a press release. “The UN has been focusing on a people-centred, developmental approach to disability.”
The annual conference is required by Article 40 of the Convention, which calls for the meeting “in order to consider any matter with regard to the implementation of the present Convention.” This is the fourth conference at UN headquarters since 2008.
This article was published in the October 2011 issue of Able News.
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