16 August 2005
Progress Towards Treaty on Human Rights for People with Disabilities
Human Rights Commissioner and Acting Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Dr Sev Ozdowski, has welcomed progress made this month towards a new United Nations Convention on human rights for people with disabilities.
The Commissioner said at least one in five people in Australia and around the world have some sort of disability, whether from birth, through accident or illness, or from the process of ageing.
"All of us already have the same rights in theory. But in many countries there are clear needs for extra legal protection and recognition of rights for people with disabilities, and for more action in all societies to make those rights a reality," Dr Ozdowski said.
Dr Ozdowski participated, as part of the Australian Government delegation, in the recent round of negotiations at the United Nations in New York, where a second reading of the draft Convention was completed. Further negotiations will be held early next year.
"These negotiations have been a good model for how UN processes can be more participatory and effective than they have sometimes been in the past," the Commissioner said. "The process and its outcomes so far show that reform of UN activities on human rights doesn't mean you have to throw the baby out with bathwater."
Organisations representing people with disabilities have been able to participate extensively in the process, rather than this being restricted to governments only.
"Contributions from Australian disability organisations in particular have been widely recognised as important and constructive," said Dr Ozdowski.
National human rights institutions, including Australia's Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, had also worked together to contribute innovative ideas on monitoring of human rights.
The Commissioner said he looked forward to contributing to further positive work on how to build human rights protections that are more than just words, and help governments and societies around the world to take more effective responsibility for practical results for people with disabilities.
Last updated 16 August 2005.
