| Programme : UNITED NATIONS
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
Regional Seminar on an International Convention on Disability
Beijing, China
4-7 November 2003
Opening statement by Mr Kim Hak-Su
Under Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary,
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)
(delivered by Ms Keiko Okaido, Deputy Executive Secretary )
Excellencies,
Distinguished participants,
Ladies and gentlemen,
On behalf of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
(UNESCAP), I am very pleased to welcome all of you to this UNESCAP/CDPF Regional Seminar
on an International Convention on Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of
Persons with Disabilities.
I would like to express my appreciation to each of you for having accepted our
invitation. We are indeed very fortunate to be able to bring together such a distinguished
body of experts to discuss the important subject of this Seminar.
UNESCAP is very pleased to join hands with the China Disabled Persons' Federation
(CDPF) to co-organize this Seminar, which is specifically designed for high-ranking public
officials who are decision-makers in sectors important to persons with disabilities. We
are also pleased to have many distinguished leaders of civil society attending this
Seminar as observers.
I would like to express our gratitude to the Government of China for its significant
support for the efforts of UNESCAP to promote the full participation and equality of
persons with disabilities, not only through the organization of this particular Seminar
but also through many other activities and initiatives during the first Asian and Pacific
Decade of Disabled Persons and the renewed Decade from 2003 to 2012.
My appreciation also goes to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social
Affairs (DESA), which has supported us both substantively and financially.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We are at a critical juncture in history with regard to persons with disabilities.
Although the elaboration of a disability-specific convention has been the subject of
discussion for more than 15 years, a real process has begun and is gaining momentum. This
Regional Seminar is of great significance because we aim to formulate a joint political
statement in support of the process.
As you know, in December 2001, the United Nations General Assembly, by Resolution
56/168, established an Ad Hoc Committee to consider proposals for a Comprehensive and
Integral International Convention to Promote and Protect the Rights and Dignity of Persons
with Disabilities. The first session of the Ad Hoc Committee was held in New York in 2002.
Subsequent General Assembly Resolution 57/229 of 18 December 2002 further encouraged
Governments, United Nations bodies, including regional commissions, and other
organizations to make available to the Ad Hoc Committee suggestions and possible elements
to be considered regarding the proposed Convention.
In support of these resolutions and our regional mandate, UNESCAP organized an Expert
Group Meeting on the International Convention in early June 2003. The Meeting adopted a
comprehensive set of recommendations on the proposed convention, entitled 'the
"Bangkok Recommendations".
The Bangkok Recommendations were submitted to the Second Session of the Ad Hoc
Committee, held from 16 to 27 June 2003 in New York, where Member States unanimously
agreed to start elaborating the Convention. At this Committee, a Working Group was
established with the mandate to develop a consolidated draft text of the convention for
the Third Session of the Ad Hoc Committee, to be held in June next year. I am very pleased
to see that distinguished experts from six out of seven Asian member countries of the
Working Group are here today at this Seminar. These countries are China, India, Japan,
Republic of Korea, the Philippines, and Thailand.
In follow up to the Second Session, UNESCAP organized a Regional Workshop on the
Convention in Bangkok, from 14-17 October 2003 which was attended by some 80 experts from
our region, including prominent experts and legal specialists and members of several
national human rights commissions and academic institutions.
You are going to review the Bangkok Draft, the outcome document of the October Workshop
as one of the main reference documents for our discussion. This Seminar will adopt a joint
statement of support, entitled "The Beijing Consensus on Elaboration of an
International Convention". This document, along with the Bangkok Draft, will be
submitted to the Ad Hoc Committee on the Convention as a regional contribution to the
global process.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The primary aim of the current Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons from 2003
to 2012 is to promote the paradigm shift from a charity-based approach to a rights-based
approach towards empowerment of all persons with disabilities. This Seminar and the
broader framework within which it is conducted represent a common regional endeavour and a
vivid testimony to our determination to achieve this goal.
I would like to conclude by expressing our shared aspiration towards an inclusive,
barrier-free and rights-based society, a society in which all people with different
abilities can fully enjoy their rights on an equal basis.
I wish you success in your deliberations and a pleasant stay in Beijing.
Thank you.
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