Colin -
I'm writing this right now from conference room #4 of the U.N. where
we're in the 6th session of the Ad Hoc Committee on a Comprehensive
and Integral International Convention on the Protection and Promotion
of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities. I'm
observing the proceedings that are going on this week and next. I
should mention at this point that I'm (temporarily) able-bodied.
First, it is true in an ideal world, disabled persons should be
treated just like every other human being and there are many who feel
that in an ideal world, there would be no need for this convention.
But the truth is that just like women, indigenous peoples, ethnic
minorities, religious minorities, etc. -- many countries still engage
in both formal and informal discriminatory practices against people
with disabilities. And so, just like previous UN conventions on the
status of women, indigenous and first peoples, etc., there is a
feeling that the international community should get together to
reiterate the importance of recognizing the rights of PWDs.
Even in countries with well-developed disability lobbies, I believe
the convention will be useful. For example, yesterday, we were
working on Article #15 which reiterates the right for independent
living, the right to not be institutionalized, and the right to be
able to choose your own living arrangements. If you can name a
country where those rights are 100% protected, I think we would all
like to move there.
The process for creating an international convention is
excruciatingly slow. We're in the sixth session of the ad hoc
committee, which has been meeting since 2002. It's being done with
feedback from NGOs from Britain, UK, Japan, Australia, Korea, Peru
etc. Unfortunately, I've only seen a few other NGOs from other
developing nations.
If your group would like to participate next year, there's a process
for getting recognized as an NGO within the U.N. Many groups simply
piggy-back onto an existing NGO. So for example, I'm observing as
part of the DPI-Japan group, which is piggy-backing their
relationship with the Japanese Disability Forum.
You can follow the process of the convention here:
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/rights/adhoccom.htm
If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer, although this is
my first year observing the committee and I only have limited
knowledge of the proceedings.
KN
p.s. I've also posted an expanded version of this entry to my blog
with photographs from the sessions:
http://www.photoethnography.com/blog/archives/2005/08/
fieldnotes_inte.html
---
Karen Nakamura Assistant Professor of Anthropology Yale
University
51 Hillhouse Avenue PO Box 208277 New Haven CT 06520-8277
[log in to unmask] http://www.disabilitystudies.jp/nakamura
>
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Karen Nakamura Assistant Professor of Anthropology Yale
University
51 Hillhouse Avenue PO Box 208277 New Haven CT 06520-8277
[log in to unmask] http://www.disabilitystudies.jp/nakamura
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