Online
Activities Hosted by |
 |
Meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee, 29
July - 9 August 2002 : NGO Bulletins :Disability Negotiations Bulletin #1
|
|||||||||||||||||
Today's Weather Forecast Possible Thunderstorms |
||
Exchange Rate 1 US Dollar |
||
Ad Hoc Committee
Meeting |
||
| 10am - 1pm & 3pm - 6pm | Ad Hoc Committee Meeting | Conference Room 1 |
| 1 pm | BRIEFING: NGO Briefing Ambassador De Alba, Mexico |
NGO Meeting Room |
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Open Letter to the Delegates
National Union of Disabled Persons in
Uganda (NUDIPU)
Human Rights and Global Realities
Disability Caucus Meeting Room
Global Support for an International
Treaty
Disability Awareness Badge of Honor
and Dishonor
Resource Corner
Spotlight on Disability Laws Around
the World
Open Letter to the Delegates
The opening of the Ad Hoc Committee on July 29, 2002, marks the beginning of a new phase in human history for people with disabilities and their allies worldwide. This historical occasion provides an opportunity for those who reject the systemic global discrimination against people with disabilities, and the marginalization of disability as a human rights issue, to unite in pursuit of a treaty that guarantees strong rights, protections and remedies.
Governments from more than 50 nations, recognizing the importance of a convention on the human rights of people with disabilities, have sent delegations to participate in the first step of this important process. Likewise, many non-governmental organizations have worked tirelessly to secure access to this meeting and, with the support of governments such as Mexico, have been granted entry to the meeting. However, entry will not be enough to ensure a quality treaty that is truly reflective of, and responsive to, the issues faced by people with disabilities in every country. Real and effective partnerships must be created between governments and disability advocates from every region so that governments can benefit from the unique expertise and experience that can only be offered by those for whom disability is a daily reality. These important working relationships must not begin and end at UN meetings, but must endure throughout what we hope will be a transparent, participatory and productive process to develop the next important instrument of international human rights law.
This Bulletin is one way in which we hope to engender the participatory dialogue essential to the development of an effective convention. We hope that the working relationships so essential to a successful convention will be forged by initiatives such as this - and in this spirit we invite all readers to share the contents of the bulletin and to contribute to future editions as they see fit.
The United Nations and the WHO estimate that there are some 600 million people with disabilities worldwide, of whom some 80%, or 400 million people are living in developing countries.
National Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda (NUDIPU)
A successful agent for change in Uganda
The National Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda (NUDIPU), an umbrella organization bringing together a wide cross-section of people with disabilities, has been very effective in lobbying for change. NUDIPU works with the Ugandan government, civil society, and the general public - reaching from the village to the national level.
NUDIPU's focus and greatest accomplishment has been to improve education for people with disabilities. By persistently campaigning the government over a period of ten years, NUDIPU succeeded in having a provision on the right to education for all, without discrimination, included in the Ugandan Constitution.
They also played a part in the enactment of the Children's Act of 1996 which facilitates access to education for children with disabilities through programs and the provision of special equipment to aid in accessibility. Families in Uganda are allotted education funding for up to four children. In an attempt to ensure that this funding was used for children with disabilities, the government initiated a policy requiring families to give priority to children with disabilities. All these initiatives resulted in an increase in the enrollment of children with disabilities by 600% over five years.
NUDIPU also succeeded in incorporating sign language in the Constitution as an official language, and in schools as an accepted teaching language. New schools are now designed to be accessible; teachers are trained in special needs education and a newly created Special Needs Education Department provides Braille materials. Beyond educational initiatives, NUDIPU is also lobbying micro-financing institutions to make provisions for people with disabilities.
All these achievements are a result of NUDIPU's campaign strategy which includes disability awareness campaigns for government officials, increased use of international and national legal instruments regarding disability in efforts to promote change, publicizing activities through the media, organizing seminars and producing publications on disability issues, lobbying members of parliament, and sitting on advisory committees involved with policy development.
SPECIAL THANKSTo our allies from other social justice movements who generously shared with us their time and expertise which helped produce this Bulletin: Clif Curtis, World Wildlife Fund, USA; Cynthia Price Cohen, Child Rights Institute Internationa; Judy Wilkenfeld, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids/Framework Convention Alliance, USA |
Human Rights and Global Realities
People with disabilities have the right to life
The Right: People with disabilities have the right to life.
The Reality: In a hospital in the United States, 24 babies born with spina bifida were denied life-saving treatment on the basis of a "quality of life" formula devised by doctors. Their parents were told to forego treatment because the children would be too disabled to ever enjoy life.
The Reality: According to a report in the Netherlands, loose regulations have led to 1 in 5 patients in cases of "euthanasia" dying without having given explicit consent. A doctor who gave a lethal injection to an infant born with spina bifida and a partly formed brain received no punishment despite being found guilty by a court of law.
The Reality: Tracy Latimer of Canada, a twelve-year old girl with cerebral palsy, was killed by her father, Robert, who claimed he wanted to end what he perceived to be her pain and suffering. When Robert Latimer was convicted of murder, over 60,000 Canadians signed a petition asking the government to grant him a pardon or reduce his sentence.
Disability Caucus to Meet Daily
The UN is providing a meeting space across from the conference hall where NGOs can meet daily before each session begins and at other times. Stay tuned for more information on this space. This room will provide an opportunity for meeting and discussions and will serve as a resource center, with publications available in hard copy format and disc format. A computer with accessible software for people with visual disabilities to access resource materials will be available for use at specified times. All are welcome and encouraged to make use of this space.
We are grateful to the Center for International Rehabilitation and Ambassador De Alba for securing space for NGOs to convene during the Ad Hoc Committee Meeting.
Global Support for an International Treaty
"All too often, persons with disabilities are perceived to be cases of charity, rather than individuals who are entitled to the effective enjoyment of all human rights. A treaty on the rights of people with disabilities presents governments with the opportunity to change such archaic notions of disability. It is also critical that the disability and human rights communities participate to the fullest extent in its development and implementation."
Kirsten Young, Lawyer, New Zealand
"An international convention would provide valuable standards as we advocate to improve our domestic laws. In the Netherlands, self determination for people with disabilities is only starting to develop. We believe that a treaty describing self determination as a right for disabled people would have a great impact on our governmental policy makers and on the way service providers deliver their services."
Yolan Koster-Dreese, Netherlands, disability rights advocate
"People labeled with psychiatric disability are routinely segregated, confined, deprived of our right to make decisions about our own lives, and forced to undergo administration of psychotropic drugs or electroshock against our will. A convention could eliminate the discrimination that allows this to happen."
Tina Minkowitz, United States, disability rights advocate
"It is important to show the world that people with disabilities are entitled not to charity but to the means necessary to enjoy their human rights. A convention will oblige governments to allocate resources in their budgets so that opportunities are available to people with disabilities on an equal basis as everyone else. It will also facilitate participation by people with disabilities in decisions affecting their status."
Adnan Al Aboudy, Landmine Survivors Network, Jordan
"Each of us has, YOU have, the full power, and therefore the full responsibility, to create a society of individualized empowerment for all."
Justin Dart (1930-2002), Disability Rights Hero, USA
Badges of Honor and Dishonor
Disability Awareness Badge of Honor
This edition's Badge of Honor is awarded to Mexico for its initiative in calling for a treaty on the human rights of people with disabilities and for its efforts to ensure NGO access to this process. Muchas Gracias!!!
Disability Awareness Badge of Dishonor
Awarded as necessary, nominations accepted
Resource Corner: Web Links
NGO links:
- Action on Disability and Development - http://www.add.org.uk
- American Association of People with Disabilities - http://www.aapd.com
- American Council of the Blind - http://www.acb.org
- Canadian Mental Health Association - http://www.cmha.ca
- Center for International Rehabilitation - http://www.cirnetwork.org
- Council of Canadians with Disabilities - http://www.pcs.mb.ca/~ccd
- Danish Council of Organisations of Disabled People - http://www.handicap.dk/eng/index.htm
- Disability Awareness in Action - http://www.daa.org.uk
- Disabled Peoples' International - http://www.dpi.org
- Disabled People South Africa - http://www.dpsa.org.za
- European Disability Forum - http://www.edf-feph.org
- Handicap International - http://www.handicap-international.org/index.html
- Inclusion International - http://www.inclusion-international.org
- Landmine Survivors Network - http://www.landminesurvivors.org
- Mental Disability Rights International - http://www.mdri.org
- Not Dead Yet - http://www.notdeadyet.org
- Rehabilitation International - http://www.rehab-international.org
- Support Coalition International - http://www.mindfreedom.org
- United States International Council on Disabilities - http://www.usicd.org
- World Blind Union - http://umc.once.es/texto
- World Federation of the Deaf - http://www.wfdnews.org
- World Federation of the Deaf/Blind - http://www.wfdb.org
- World Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry - http://www.wnusp.org
SPOTLIGHT ON DISABILTY RIGHTS AROUND THE WORLD: JORDAN
Law Number (12) for the Year 1993, Law for the Welfare of Disabled Persons, Article (3):
| FACT: Of 189 UN Member States, an estimated 40 have some form of anti-discrimination legislation. |
The philosophy of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan with regard to its disabled citizens springs forth from Arab-Islamic values, the Jordanian Constitution, the National Charter, the Laws governing education and higher education, the World Declaration on Human Rights, and the International Declaration on Disabled Persons; and stresses the following principles:
- The right of disabled persons to be integrated into the general life of the society.
- The right of disabled persons to education and higher education commensurate with his/her abilities.
- The right of disabled persons to employment commensurate with their capabilities and qualifications, and their right to sports and recreation.
- The right of disabled persons to Preventative Health Care and Medical Treatment.
- The right of disabled persons to a suitable environment that allows them freedom of movement and transportation in a safe and secure manner.
- The right of disabled persons to obtain such aids, equipment and materials that assist them in education, training, movement and transportation.
- The right of those who have multiple and severe disabilities to education, training and rehabilitation.
- The right of needy parents with disabled dependents to relief, welfare and support services.
- The right of disabled persons to participate in decision making pertaining to them.
- (Copies of the entire legislative text are available in English and Arabic on the resource tables at the Ad Hoc Meeting.)
Publication staff:
Joelle Balfe, Campaign Development Group, USA
Elaine Belmear, Landmine Survivors Network, USA
Steven Estey, Council on Canadians with Disabilities, Canada
Janet E. Lord, Landmine Survivors Network, USA
Kicki Nordstrom, World Blind Union, Sweden
William Rowland, World Blind Union, South Africa
This Bulletin was produced by the following group of non-governmental organizations, who are committed to the development of a strong and effective international convention on the human rights of people with disabilities and a process for its development that is transparent, inclusive and participatory. If your organization would like to add its name to this group, please contact Elaine Belmear at: ebelmear@landminesurvivors.org. If you have suggestions for the Bulletin, please contact a member of the Publication Staff.
- American Association of People with Disabilities
- American Council of the Blind
- Council of Canadians with Disabilities
- Center for International Rehabilitation
- Inter-American Institute on Disability
- Landmine Survivors Network
- Mental Disability Rights International
- Not Dead Yet
- Support Coalition International
- United States International Council on Disabilities
- World Blind Union
- World Institute on Disability