Commonwealth Human Rights e-Newsletter: September 2006   Commonwealth National Human Rights Commission (CNHRC) Project

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This e-Newsletter has been produced for Commonwealth National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) by the British Council, as part of the British Council's project to support networking and sharing between such NHRIs.

SPOTLIGHT of the month:Reconciling human rights and counter-terrorism – a crucial challenge: The Annual James Cook University Mayo Lecture delivered by John von Doussa QC, President of the Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) on 12 September 2006
Content:

	1. Forthcoming Events 2. Awards 3. Reports and Publications 4. News Stories 5. Update on 8th Session of the Ad Hoc Committee on a Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

2nd session of the UN Human Rights Council from 18 September to 6 October 2006 The work of the Human Rights Council during its second session will be organised in accordance with the draft framework for the programme of work of the Council for its second session as contained in Council's decision 2006/105 of 30 June 2006 entitled “Draft framework for a programme of work of the Human Rights Council for the first year”.

National Human Rights Institutions Course by Danish Institute for Human Rights from 16 - 20 October 2006 The Danish Institute for Human Rights is offering the course "Establishing and Consolidating National Human Rights Institutions" in Copenhagen , Denmark, 16-20 October 2006. Participants will acquire an overview and comparative perspective on: the mandate, role and functions of National Human Rights Institutions; the main national, regional and historical variances and institutional models for National Human Rights Institutions; and the establishment and consolidation of National Human Rights. The course fee is 9.000 kr should be transferred to DIHR's bank account no. 78 51 11 00 220 in Jyske Bank immediately after confirmation of registration.

Human Rights Education - Cross-Border Conference on 20 October 2006, Belfast, Northern Ireland This conference is being organised by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission together with The Lift Off Initiative, a cross border human rights education project for primary schools in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland . It will provide an opportunity to examine the progress and potential for implementing the United Nations World Programme of Action for Human Rights Education through showcasing the work of various initiatives within the primary sector both locally and internationally, and exploring how rights based approaches in education can help schools address the challenges which they currently encounter.

South Africa Regional course on Economic, Social & Cultural Rights from 16 October to 3 November 2006 Human Rights Trust of Southern Africa - SAHRIT is offering a regional course on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The course is the 5th course organised by SAHRIT since 2002. The course will run from 16 October to 3 November 2006 at St Lucia Park in Harare, Zimbabwe . The course will bring pertinent economic, social and cultural rights issues to the fore. It will be an opportunity for participants from the different backgrounds and countries of Southern Africa to share information and experiences.

The CRE Race Convention 2006 in London from 27-28 November, 2006 This November, the Commission for Racial Equality, UK will host a major international conference in London to mark its 30th anniversary. The Commission for Racial Equality is established by the 1976 Race Relations Act to lead the fight against discrimination and to promote good race relations. It will be a landmark event with high-profile speakers, up-to-the-minute debate, practical workshops, a host of cultural activities and networking opportunities. Convention 2006 will bring together people from all parts of society to debate of some of the most critical issues facing the UK , Europe and beyond.

 

AWARDS,COMPETITIONS & INTERNSHIPS

Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders The Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders (MEA) , created in 1993, is granted annually to someone who has demonstrated an exceptional record of combating human rights violations by courageous and innovative means. The award aims at encouraging human rights defenders who are at risk and therefore in need of immediate protection . This main objective of protection is mostly achieved through media attention, particularly in the country or region of origin of the laureate. In addition, the award consists of 20,000 Swiss Francs, to be used for further work in the field of human rights. Anybody can nominate any individual or organisation by filling out the appropriate form. Nominations for award should reach the Martin Ennals Foundation (MEF) by 9 December 2006.

Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health & Human Rights This award has been established to honour Jonathan Mann and help to call continued attention to the vital links between health and human rights. The award is presented annually to a leading practitioner in health and human rights. The award comes with a substantial financial prize to allow its recipient a measure of freedom to pursue his or her work in the area of global health and human rights. The deadline for submitting nominations for the 2007 Award is January 15 2007.

2007-2008 Fellowships in International Human Rights by Human Rights Watch This year Human Rights Watch will award four fellowships to recent graduates of law schools or graduate programs (master's degree and above) in journalism, international relations, area studies, or other relevant disciplines. Fellows work full time for one year at Human Rights Watch, based in New York City or Washington, D.C. Fellows monitor human rights developments in various countries, conduct on-site investigations, draft reports on human rights conditions, and engage in advocacy aimed at publicizing and curtailing human rights violations. Complete applications (including transcripts and recommendations) for 2007-2008 fellowships must be received by 6 October 2006.

Questionnaire on the right to education of children with disabilities - Special Rapporteur on the right to education Next report of the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education to the UN Human Rights Council will be focused on the right to education of children with disabilities. In order to gather required information on this theme, the special Rapporteur invites you to complete a questionnaire. The purpose of this questionnaire is to solicit information from States, local authorities, civil society and other stakeholders for the preparation of the general report on the right to education, which the Special Rapporteur on the right to education will be submitting to the forthcoming 2007 session of the Human Rights Council pursuant to its decision 2006/102 entitled “Extension by the Human Rights Council of all mandates, mechanisms, functions and responsibilities of the Commission on Human Rights”. In order for the information received to be used for the next report of the Special Rapporteur, last date of submission of responses is 15 November 2006. It is encouraged that submissions be made in electronic format to Vernor Munoz, Special Raporteur on the Right to Education at vmunoz@dhr.go.cr / vernormu@yahoo.es

 

REPORTS & PUBLICATIONS

International

The State of the Right to Education Worldwide - Free or Fee: 2006 Global Report Katarina Tomasevski, UN Special Rapporteur from 1998 to 2004, has published a new report on the right to education worldwide. "The State of the Right to Education Worldwide. Free or Fee: 2006 Global Report" summarizes in 281 pages the shortcomings of global educational promises and then examines how the right to education fares in 170 countries. Developing and transitioning countries are divided into five geographical regions and 31 tables highlight the key findings derived from country-by-country surveys. The report highlights the abyss between domestic policies of wealthy creditor and donor governments which keep compulsory education free, and their external policies which have made it for-fee.

Activating Human Rights by Elisabeth Porter and Baden Offord This book is based on papers originally presented at the international conference 'Activating Human Rights and Diversity' held in Australia in 2003. It advances a powerful and convincing affirmation of the importance of human rights in the 21st century and explores the vital connections between the theory and practice of human rights. It asks what kind of vision for humanity is necessary, given the harsh realities and challenges of the 21st century. Through a range of perspectives - reconciliation, refugees, women, indigenous issues, same-sex sexuality, conflict resolution, environmental degradation, political freedoms and disability - this collection highlights the fact that the survival of humanity depends on our ability to connect a vision with the reality of activating human rights.

10 Reasons Why Human Rights Should Occupy the Center of the Global AIDS Struggle At the 2006 United Nations High Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS, world leaders reaffirmed that “the full realisation of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all is an essential element in the global response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic.” Yet, 25 years into the AIDS epidemic, this “essential element” remains the missing piece in the fight against AIDS. Now more than ever, law and human rights should occupy the center of the global HIV/AIDS struggle. This booklet, published by Open Society Institute ' s Law and Health Initiative, presents 10 reasons why and calls on world leaders to affirm that human rights for all are essential in the global response to HIV/AIDS. Coverage of XVI International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2006) held in Toronto, Canada from 13-18 August 2006 : Time to Deliver

Beijing Plus 10: An Ambivalent Record on Gender Justice by Maxine Molyneux, Shahra Razavi The 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women (the “Beijing Conference”) was a landmark in policy terms, setting a global policy framework to advance gender equality. Ten years after Beijing , in March 2005, the UN's Commission on the Status of Women presided over an intergovernmental meeting in New York to review the progress achieved on the commitments made in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. This “Plus 10” event was decidedly low key. Its aim was not agenda setting but agenda confirming; not policy formulation, but policy affirmation. Whether it proves to be part of an ongoing worldwide movement in support of gender equality, or whether it marks the decline of that process, is a question that many in international women's movements are asking. This paper, drawing on research undertaken for the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) report, Gender Equality: Striving for Justice in an Unequal World , reflects on the ambivalent record of progress achieved by women over the last decades and considers how the policy environment has changed over the period since the high point of the global women's movements.

Combating Torture Handbook: A Manual for Judges and Prosecutors - By Conor Foley Funded by the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office, this manual outlines the duties and responsibilities of judges and prosecutors to prevent and investigate acts of torture, and other forms of ill-treatment, to ensure that those who perpetrate such acts are brought to justice and to provide redress for their victims. It also provides practical advice, drawn from best practice, about how torture can be combated at a procedural level. Although primarily aimed at judges and prosecutors, it can be used as a resource by defence lawyers and others concerned with the prevention and investigation of acts of torture. A well-informed and sensitized legal profession has a vital role to play in eradicating torture and this manual is also aimed at helping its members to fulfil that professional function.

Guide to International Human Rights Mechanisms for Internally Displaced Persons and Their Advocates by David Fisher Countries of every region of the world, internally displaced persons are victims of violations of human rights. These span the whole range of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. At the same time, the internally displaced are also a group particularly vulnerable to violations of their rights, both during and after displacement. They face discrimination on account of their status as displaced persons, as well as exposure to discrimination on racial, ethnic and gender grounds. For internally displaced persons, this kind of “double discrimination” can prove devastating. This guide, produced by Paul D. Schurgot Foundation, sets out in accessible format the legal rights that internally displaced persons enjoy, as well as the international mechanisms that have been established to protect these rights. These include regional institutions which have procedures attuned to the particular contexts of those parts of the world, as well as United Nations mechanisms.

Freedom of Information around the World 2006: A Global Survey of Access to Government Records Laws The international advocacy organisation freedominfo.org has released its report Freedom of Information Around the World 2006: A Global Survey of Access to Government Records Laws. The report provides an overview of access to information laws from 68 countries.

Commonwealth

Commonwealth Manual on Human Rights Training for Police Training The training of police officers enhances their knowledge of law and procedure, the limits on power and respect for the basic rights of individuals, said Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Florence Mugasha in a foreword to the newly produced ‘Commonwealth Manual on Human Rights Training for Police'. She noted that the manner in which police and law enforcement officers carry out their duties in the community contributes towards conditions in which human and economic development can flourish. The Deputy Secretary-General added that this manual will assist police and prisons training institutions in Commonwealth countries to build knowledge and respect for human rights. Ms Rabab Fatima , Head of the Human Rights Unit of the Commonwealth Secretariat, who launched the manual on 12 June 2006 at the opening of a five-day Commonwealth Workshop on Human Rights Training for Police in Eastern Africa in Kampala, Uganda, said the manual will enable police and law enforcement trainers to build human rights standards and approaches into the existing curriculum of their training institutions. The manual includes chapters on policing and human rights in relation to counter-terrorism and human rights responsibilities of prison and penitentiary officials.

Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative releases reports on policing in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania On the evening of 12 June 2006, the Director General of the East African Community Customs Union, Peter Kiguta, released five reports into policing in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, as part of a two-day roundtable on police and police reforms in East Africa hosted by Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) and the East Africa Law Society in Arusha, Tanzania. Delegates explored the challenges to good policing in the region, including: brutality and excessive use of force, outdated legal regimes, corruption, illegitimate political interference, militarisation of civilian policing bodies, partiality, impunity, internal police culture and hierarchies, lack of transparency, lack of adequate training and resources, police recruitment processes, poor service and working conditions, lack of adherence to the rule of law and lack of reform in the broader criminal justice sector. Ms Maja Daruwala, Director of CHRI said, “the people of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are suffering under police forces that too often are corrupt, violent and brutal tools of government. This type of policing is at direct odds with the claims of democracy made by the governments of East Africa . It is time for each country to take a long, hard look at its police and aim towards reform.” The first three reports launched by the Director General look at police accountability in the three East African countries. Each of the reports - The police, the people, the politics: Police accountability in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania – look at the development of the police force in each country, examine the issues facing the police and consider the legislative and political frameworks that the police operate within. Read: Concluding statement and recommendations reports from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania

Australia

Get the facts: Know your rights The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission has released a new community education resource titled ' Discrimination and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women - Get the facts: Know your rights'. The resource has been developed by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission in partnership with the National Network of Indigenous Women's Legal Services Inc. It provides useful information on race, sex and disability discrimination, with a particular emphasis on pregnancy discrimination in the workplace. Sex Discrimination Commissioner Pru Goward said: "Sex discrimination means being treated unfairly because of your sex, your marital status or because you are pregnant. It also includes being dismissed from your job because you have family responsibilities. Indigenous women need to know that this is not acceptable. Sex discrimination is against the law and you have a right to take action."

Africa

Johannesburg Position on Women and Girls' Rights and HIV/AIDS in Africa 2006 offers opportunities to advocate for women's rights in the context of HIV/AIDS at major events — the Abuja+5 Review, the UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV and AIDS, and the International HIV/AIDS Conference in Toronto, among others. With this in mind, and to prepare a plan that outlines African women's perspectives and rights, a meeting was convened in Johannesburg, South Africa, in April 2006, by the African Women's Development Fund (AWDF), ActionAid International, the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa, and UNIFEM. The meeting brought around 55 women activists from across Africa together to develop a set of advocacy positions around women's rights and HIV/AIDS, and to plan for women's participation in key policy dialogues and processes in 2006. The meeting resulted in the Johannesburg Position on Women and Girls ' Rights and HIV/AIDS in Africa.

United Kingdom

Crime Reduction Toolkit This toolkit was put together by the Government of the United Kingdom (UK) to increase awareness amongst the agencies responsible for tackling the crime of human trafficking and amongst the Crime and Disorder Partnerships that are setting the local priorities for crime reduction in the United Kingdom . The primary aim of the toolkit is to help those who deal with illegal immigrants and trafficking victims - including cases of sexual offences, prostitution, child abuse and labour exploitation - to distinguish victims in genuine need and to deal with them appropriately.

 

NEWS STORIES

ASYLUM

Australia drops asylum bill The Australian government has withdrawn a controversial bill to process all future asylum seekers arriving by boat in offshore camps. The legislation was due to go to the Senate, but ruling party lawmakers forced Prime Minister Howard to cancel the vote. The bill had sparked considerable debate, with three government lawmakers opposing it in the lower house. Refugee groups had spoken out against the proposed new laws. Under current legislation, only people who arrive on outlying islands or are intercepted at sea have their claims for Australian asylum processed off-shore. Those arriving on the mainland have their cases handled inside the country, under the Australian legal process.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

New Zealand Human Rights Commission calls for legal recognition of victims' rights Victims ' rights must be legally recognised in order to ensure their empowerment and participation in the criminal justice system, the New Zealand Human Rights Commission told the Justice and Electoral Select Committee of New Zealand. The Commission was presenting its submission on the Inquiry into the Place of Victims in the Criminal Justice System. "Victims should be made an integral part of the criminal justice process, not merely peripheral players," Chief Commissioner, Rosslyn Noonan said. Read the submission

Ghanaian Government urged to ratify UN Convention on Torture As Ghana assumes a new position on the United Nation (UN) Human Rights Council, it has yet to ratify and make operational the second optional protocol to the Convention against Torture. It is in this respect that Amnesty International, Ghana , has urged the media to add its voice to the call for the Government to take serious steps to endorse the protocol in order to pave way for the total eradication of all forms of torture in the country. The Director of Amnesty International-Ghana, Mr. Prize F.Y. McApreko was of the view that Ghana's nomination to the UN Human Rights Council must be justified through the denunciation of torture, stressing that structures that support acts of torture must be completely removed.

HEALTH

XVI AIDS Conference urges universal access to prevention, treatment A large conference on HIV/AIDS has concluded with calls for universal access to effective prevention strategies, as well as HIV care and treatment. The XVI International AIDS Conference, held in Toronto , Canada from 13-18 August 2006, involved the presentation of more than 4,500 abstracts and was attended by an estimated 26,000 people, including experts, activists, policy makers, health providers and caregivers. The event covered a range of specific issues. The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) called attention to the linkages between gender and HIV/AIDS, with Executive Director Noeleen Heyzer urging the international community to step up the delivery on gender equality to reverse the feminization of the AIDS pandemic. She reminded participants that gender inequality is one of the major drivers of the AIDS pandemic. Read more: -- Facts & Figures on HIV/AIDS -- UNIFEM at a Glance: HIV/AIDS – A Gender Equality and Human Rights Issue -- Time to Deliver for Women and Girls – statement by Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Director, UNIFEM -- Remarks by Stephen Lewis UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa to the Closing Session of the XVI International AIDS Conference held from 13 – 18 August 2006 in Toronto -- Reflection on women's rights issues at the AIDS conference - Analysis falls short of rhetoric -- AIDS Conference in Toronto: What Was Delivered? by World Bank

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

UN ‘think tank' winds up by proposing expert body to advise Human Rights Council The United Nations "think tank" on human rights ended its last meeting on 25 August 2006, presenting its vision of how a future advisory body could service the recently established Human Rights Council. Meeting in Geneva, the Sub-Commission on the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights - whose parent body, the Commission on Human Rights, was abolished in the reforms that brought the Council into being earlier this year - propose that a human rights consultative committee of 26 experts should assist the new Council. When the General Assembly voted in March to establish the Council, the resolution indicated it must be assisted by an expert advice system. The details of how that system would work have yet to be determined, but Council members must agree upon on a new system within a year. Read more 'Mixed start for New Human Rights Council' by Human Rights Watch

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS

UN marks ‘Day of Disappeared' on 30 August 2006 : Vanished, But Not Forgotten Marking the International Day of the Disappeared , United Nations officials joined international human rights groups to draw attention to the plight of the thousands of people around the world who have been seized and imprisoned without recourse to their families or lawyers. "Enforced disappearance is a crime under international human rights law and -- when it occurs in war -- under international humanitarian law. It is tantamount to deleting a person ' s very existence and denies him or her basic protection of the law to which every man and woman, irrespective of guilt or innocence, is entitled," said Philip Spoerri, director of law at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). "The damage to the bereft, who, unlike the bereaved, continue to hope against hope, is far-reaching and long-lasting, affecting not only individuals but the societies in which they live," stressed Spoerri. Since its creation in 1980, the Geneva-based U.N. Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances has submitted more than 50,000 individual cases to governments in more than 90 countries. On June 29, the new U.N. Human Rights Council approved the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. The treaty must now be submitted to the U.N. General Assembly for adoption by the member states. Read more: -- calls for action on missing persons

First amendment to the Maldives Human Rights Commission Act passed Commenting on the passage through the People's Majlis (the Parliament) of the First Amendment to the Act on the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives, Chief Government Spokesman Mohamed Hussain Shareef has said that it was an important stride forward in efforts to strengthen human rights protection in the country. In a statement released this morning to the local press, the Chief Government Spokesman said “While ratifying the Human Rights Commission Act on 18 August 2005, the President assigned concerned Government authorities to draft the First Amendment to the Act and to ensure that it meets the Paris Principles. I am pleased to announce that the resulting Bill, drafted after wide consultation, has been passed by the People's Majlis. Our stakeholders have confirmed that the new legislation meets the Paris Principles.”

RIGHTS OF THE DISABLED

Advice on making your website accessible – free guidance available Guidance on how to develop a website which is user-friendly for everyone including disabled people is now available free from the UK 's Disability Rights Commission's (DRC) website. A Guide to good practice in commissioning accessible websites, this is for people responsible for commissioning or maintaining public-facing websites and web-based services. One free electronic copy of the guidance is available per individual or business. The guidance can be read online, printed, searched or can be downloaded. In April 2004, the DRC published the findings of its first Formal Investigation: The Web: Access and Inclusion for Disabled People

Fair For All - Disability pilot projects Fair For All - Disability (a strategic partnership developed by the Scottish Executive Health Department and the UK 's Disability Rights Commission) is currently carrying out pilot projects with four designated Health Boards in Scotland . The projects will test the relevance and suitability of draft guidance on implementing the access to goods and services provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act. The guidance will be tested in a range of health services. The Fair For All - Disability initiative aims to encourage health practitioners and managers to strive for best practice that goes beyond compliance with the law. The initiative also promotes the rights, independence, choice and inclusion of disabled people as health service users and members of the community. Read more on Human rights of persons with disabilities

New Human Rights Convention for disabled people agreed at the United Nations A significant step forward in enabling disabled people across the world to enjoy full participation in society has been achieved at the United Nations, where the text of a Human Rights Convention for disabled people has been agreed. This agreement followed extensive negotiations that began back in 2002. Read the update on Eighth Session of the Ad Hoc Committee on a Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities (14 - 25 August 2006)

WOMEN

Pakistan moves closer to law reform It has been reported that Pakistan's government will propose amending Pakistan's rape laws, derived from Islamic Hudood laws, to remove the burden of proof on victims and to protect them from retaliatory charges of adultery. A cabinet meeting approved in principle a draft of amendments to the Hudood Ordinances, as the laws are called, that will be presented to the National Assembly. The draft plans to remove the law on rape from the Hudood Ordinances and introduce a new law that will come under Pakistan's secular penal code. A ministerial committee has been formed to check over the draft one more time, before the bill, called the Criminal Law Amendment for Protection of Women, is presented to the assembly. Read more: Pakistan's proposed rape law reform inadequate by Asian Centre for Human Rights Proposed reforms to Hudood laws fall short by Human Rights Watch

Polygamy in Uganda to be prohibited under new Domestic Relations Bill Polygamous husbands in Uganda will be prohibited from keeping two wives under one roof when the proposed Domestic Relations Bill becomes law. Chairman of the Committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Dowa Byamukama was quoted by the New Vision newspaper as saying that the proposed bill would make it a condition that a polygamous husband separates homes for each of his wives. About 18 percent of marriages in Uganda are polygamous. Byamukama and other women rights activists were pushing for a total abolition of polygamy, saying that polygamous marriages were against the spirit of equality. The Bill addresses marriage, divorce, separation, inheritance and property rights and entitles men and women equal rights in marriage, during marriage and its dissolution. Call to pass women's rights Bill

 

Update on Eighth Session of the Ad Hoc Committee on a Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities (14 - 25 August 2006)
The 8th session of the Ad Hoc Committee met in New York from 14 to 25 August 2006. After five years of negotiations, countries meeting at United Nations Headquarters in New York have agreed on a new treaty to protect the rights of persons with disabilities. On 25 August, the Ad Hoc Committee adopted the draft International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as well as a optional protocol . This is the first human rights treaty of the 21st Century, and the UN hopes it will mark a significant improvement in the treatment of disabled people. Currently only 45 countries have specific legislation that protects disabled people. “This marks a great day for the UN and for persons with disabilities. It' s a good convention and it will make a difference for millions of people.” said New Zealand' s Ambassador Don MacKay, who chaired the talks through its final sessions. According to Don MacKay, the goal of the treaty is to create a “paradigm shift in the way that governments think about disabilities” that will make a “real and concrete difference to the approximately 650 million people with disabilities worldwide.” While the convention does not create new rights, it specifically prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities in all areas of life, including civil rights, access to justice and the right to education, health services and access to transportation. The convention was largely approved by consensus, although there was a vote on a provision concerning “foreign occupation” that was included in the preamble. With five countries (Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan and the United States) voting against, the provision was adopted. The convention will be formally sent to the General Assembly for adoption at its next session, which begins in September. It will then be open for signing and ratification by all countries. It is estimated that 10 per cent of the world ' s population, or about 650 million people, suffer from disabilities.
UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan hails adoption of UN Disability Convention Protecting Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Draft text of the Convention adopted Draft Optional Protocol to the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Documents of the Eighth Session
Revisions and amendments at the Eighth Session of the Ad Hoc Committee
• Governments • UN System Agencies • National Human Rights Institutions • Non Governmental Organisations • Facilitators • Intergovernmental Organisations
Interim report of the eighth session of the Ad Hoc Committee
Report of seventh session the Ad Hoc Committee - Annex II
Resolution on the Ad Hoc Committee
Intersessional Documents
Proposals on Monitoring as of 18 May 2006 - Compilation (prepared by Mexico)
Non-paper on Monitoring as of 15 June 2006 (prepared by Mexico)
Facilitator's proposal on draft provisions of an implementing mechanism, 11 August 2006
Facilitator's text on Draft Final Clauses, 9 August 2006 - Introductory remarks
Chair's Proposed Programme of Work - Covering letter
Report by the Special Rapporteur on Disability on the Question of Monitoring
Letter dated 1 August 2006 from the President of the General Assembly on the Eight Session of the Ad Hoc Committee
Background Documents
Definition of disability in selected national legislation
Implementation Support to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction
Report of a brainstorming meeting on Reform of the Human Rights Treaty Body System
National Institutional Frameworks and Human Rights of Persons with Disabilities - Background conference document prepared by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs
Previous Sessions
Seventh Session from 16 January to 03 February 2006
Sixth Session from 1 - 12 August 2005
Fifth Session from 24 January to 4 February 2005
Fourth Session from 23 August to 3 September 2004
Third Session from 24 May to 4 June 2004
Working Group on Convention from 5 to 16 January 2004
Second Session from 16 to 27 June 2003
First Session from 29 July to 9 August 2002
Commonwealth National Human Rights Commissions
New Zealand Human Rights Commission welcomes first Human Rights Treaty of 21st century
Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission - Disability to make UN top ten
Update from Disabled Peoples International (DPI)
Day one - 14 Aug Day Two - 15 Aug Day Three - 16 Aug Day Four - 17 Aug Day Five - 18 Aug Day Six - 21 Aug Day Seven - 22 Aug Day Eight - 23 Aug Day Nine - 24 Aug
Media - Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
29 August 2006	‘A Life With Dignity For All' is message of Convention on Disability Rights, Says General Assembly President
28 August  2006	-UN Disability convention agreed -Annan hails agreement on treaty protecting rights of persons with disabilities
27 August  2006	At UN, delegates finalise new treaty protecting rights of persons with disabilities   EU welcomes UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities
26 August 2006	UN agrees disability treaty text
25 August  2006	Cautious optimism as talks on UN disability treaty near end
23 August  2006	-UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour offers support for adoption of disability treaty -General Assembly Committee drafting Disability Convention encounters difficulties
21 August  2006	Progress made in talks on UN disability convention but differences remain
18 August  2006	Youth with disabilities strive to inspire and educate through UN treaty process
15 August  2006	Proposed treaty to protect persons with disabilities will help them – chair of UN talks
14 August  2006	Proposed UN convention on disabled rights close to fruition as negotiations resume
2 August 2006	General Assembly President says global human rights pact for disabled is ‘within reach'
Q&A: Why a Convention? - Some facts about Persons with Disabilities
Translating obligations into action: Progress on the drafting of the Disability Convention by the U.N. Ad Hoc Committee by Anuradha Mohit , Special Rapporteur, National Human Rights Commission of India, and Global Representative, National Human Rights Institutions in the U.N. Ad Hoc Committee

 

 

 

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