OVERVIEW
During the General Debate of the fifty-sixth session of the General Assembly (2001)
President Vicente Fox of Mexico called upon the international community to combat poverty
and social exclusion. He observed that as societies address issues related to the
creation and distribution of opportunities of global development, it is important that all
citizens be involved as stakeholders; the world would not become more just if certain
groups are excluded from this process. For that reason Mexico presented for the
consideration of the Assembly a proposal to establish a “Special Committee” to
study the question of a new international convention on promoting and protecting the
rights of persons with disabilities, which resulted in Assembly resolution 56/168.[1]
The first session of the Ad Hoc Committee established pursuant to Assembly resolution
56/168 met from 29 July to 9 August 2002 at Headquarters to consider proposals related to
a “comprehensive and integral convention” to promote and protect the rights of
persons with disabilities. The work of the Committee was informed by the outcomes of
expert meetings hosted, respectively, by the Government of Indonesia on
disability-sensitive policy design and the promotion of sustainable livelihoods for all
(Jakarta, 15-17 January 2002)[2] and the
Government of Mexico on international norms and standards related to disability (Mexico
City, 11-14 June 2002).[3] The Committee
considered the context, structure and elements of a new, comprehensive and integrated
international convention on the rights of persons with disabilities, which would address
their social, economic and cultural rights, and civil and political rights. On the
basis of its deliberations the Committee drafted a resolution for adoption by the General
Assembly at its fifty-seventh session on further action related to the proposed new
international convention on the rights of persons with disabilities. Operative
paragraph 4 of the resolution “encourages States to hold meetings or seminars to
contribute to the work of the Ad Hoc Committee”.[4]
A recurring theme in the deliberations of the Ad Hoc Committee concerned the context,
structure and content of what would be a seventh international human rights instrument,
focusing on the promotion and protection of the rights of persons with disabilities, was
rights based approaches to development and sustainable livelihoods for persons with
disabilities in the mainstream.
The current project represents a response to the views expressed by delegations on
rights based approaches to development and the “encouragement” of the Ad Hoc
Committee concerning organization of meetings or seminars to contribute to its work.
The project focuses on the Arab region in the light of the intention of League of Arab
States to proclaim the period 2003 to 2012 “The Arab Decade of Disabled Persons
”as discussed at the “Conference on Disability Conditions in the World (Beirut,
2-5 October 2002), hosted by the Ministry of Social Affairs of Republic of Lebanon.
It is envisaged that the proclamation of an “Arab Decade” and its translation
into a strategic framework and action plan would provide the Arab region with an important
instrument to promote regional cooperation and practical action to further full
participation and equality of persons with disabilities and the promotion and protection
of their rights in the context of development.
The project has the basic goal of furthering equalization of opportunities for persons
with disabilities in social life and development, with special reference to the Arab
region, and three operational objectives: (a) strategic assessment of issues and trends
related to strategies, policies and programmes related to rights based approaches to
development and promotion of sustainable livelihoods of persons with disabilities in the
mainstream; (b) formulation of a strategic framework on building national capacities to
promote and protect the rights of persons with disabilities in line with the goals and
objectives being proposed for the Arab Decade of Disabled Persons (2003-2012); and (c)
identification of actions appropriate to elaboration of a new international instrument to
promote and protect the rights of persons with disabilities in the context of development.
The project will be carried out by means of an Arab regional meeting on norms and
standards related to development and the rights of persons with disabilities, which will
take place at Beirut for three working days from 27 to 29 May 2003. Project
preparations and conduct will make maximum use of Internet-enabled technologies to ensure
reasonable levels of access to meeting dialogue, findings and recommendations.
The Arab regional meeting will include a seminar component to provide a forum for the
exchange of knowledge and national experiences in promoting and protecting the rights of
persons with disabilities, in rights based approaches to development and issues related to
social inclusion, empowerment, institution building, and promotion of sustainable
livelihoods of persons with disabilities in mainstream development.
The workshop component of the meeting will focus on formulating strategic options for
promoting rights based approaches to development and national capacity building.
The Arab regional meeting will produce as the outcome document a strategic planning
framework for advocacy, formulating and negotiating policy options and instruments related
to development and rights of persons with disabilities, and for building national
capacities and institutions for advancement of persons with disabilities with reference to
the Arab region.
As envisaged in operative paragraph 4 of Assembly resolution 57/229, the Arab regional
meeting outcome would be presented for the consideration of the Ad Hoc Committee at its
second session, 16-26 June 2003. Follow up in support of the Arab Decade of Disabled
Persons (planned for the period 2003-2012) could include promotion of awareness of the
meeting outcome, establishment and development of networks to promote awareness of the
Arab Decade, of the international convention process, to exchange knowledge and experience
related to equalization of opportunities in the Arab region, and to further, in
cooperation with UN ESCWA, South-South cooperation to build capacities and empower persons
with disabilities for development based approaches to advancement of persons with
disabilities.
Notes:
[1] < http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/disA56168e1.htm
>.
[2] < http://www.worldenable.net/livelihoods/default.htm
>.
[3] < http://www.sre.gob.mx/discapacidad/.>.
[4] General Assembly resolution 57/229
of 18 December 2002.
Return to top |
