UN Chief Antonio Guteres says cementing and protecting the rights of about 1.5 billion people living with disabilities worldwide is a ‘moral imperative’.

Guterres made the statement while addressing a conference of signatories to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, at UN Headquarters in New York, U.S.
He said that about a quarter of the world’s population had one form of disability or the other.
“We cannot afford to ignore the contributions of 1.5 billion people,” he said, urging that more should be done for people with disabilities to fully participate in society,’’ he said.

According to the UN chief, the Convention is one of the most widely-ratified international human rights treaties, which reaffirms that people with disabilities are entitled to the same treatment as everybody else.

“But signing and ratifying the Convention is not enough; implementation is essential.
“Societies must be organised so that all people, including those with disabilities, can exercise their rights freely,” Guterres said.

He noted that countries applied the Convention to their development policies, investments and legal systems, and described the application as an important step “if we are to fulfil the central pledge of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – to leave no one behind”.

Guterres said that people with disabilities still often faced overt discrimination, stereotyping and lack of respect for their basic human rights, with women and girls disproportionately affected.

“Every minute, more than 30 women are seriously injured or disabled during childbirth,” the UN chief said, adding that women and girls with disabilities faced multiple barriers to accessing education, health services and jobs.

“Without women empowerment and gender equality, millions of women will continue to suffer from double discrimination based on both their gender and their disability,” he said.

The secretary-general advised that mainstreaming disability in national legislation and development strategies should be a new approach to work for and with people with disabilities.
Colin Allen, the Chair of the International Disability Alliance, said at the event that there would be strength in working collectively to achieve true and meaningful change.

“For the people in this room, and for the more than one billion people we represent, we are building a strong and solid platform that will propel us forward,” Allen said.

Catalina Aguilar, UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, said that while progress had been made, it was not reaching everyone in the same way.

“Together, we can remove barriers and raise awareness so that people with disabilities can play a full part in every sphere of society around the world,” Aguilar said.

June 13, 2018 @ 11:55 GMT |

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