DPI Disability Convention Daily Update: January 16, 2006 (Day One)
7th Session of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities
The 7th Session of the Ad Hoc Committee opened today in Conference Room 4 at UN Headquarters in New York at 10:15am. The weather turned very cold over the weekend as delegates from around the world arrived in town. Participants braced themselves for an intensive three weeks of negotiations.
NGO preparations for the negotiations began on Sunday, January 15. Venus Ilagan, Chair of DPI and DPI Head of Delegation to the Ad Hoc Committee, along with other team members, attended a pre-session strategy meeting with members of the International Disability Convention Caucus.
Ambassador MacKay of New Zealand once again assumed the Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee and addressed a number of procedural and administrative issues. The Ad Hoc Committee adopted the agenda for the meeting and the organization of work. It is the Committee's intention to complete a first reading of the Chair"s text during the three weeks. Of particular significance, Ambassador MacKay emphasized the need to proceed as expeditiously as possible, completing a reading of approximately 3 articles per day.
ARTICLE 5 (EQUALITY AND NON-DISCRIMINATION)
Informal negotiations commenced and the Chair invited interventions beginning with Article 5 (Equality and Non-Discrimination) of the Chair’s text. It should be noted that there was overall support for proceeding with negotiations, using the Chair’s convention text as the basis.
Costa Rica made a powerful intervention expressing its condolences to the delegation of Canada over the recent loss of Canadian diplomat, Glyn Berry, in Afghanistan. Costa Rica also expressed its solidarity for a highly respected Costa Rican disability advocate, Luis Fernando Astorga, who was detained in Miami on his way to the negotiations and then refused entry into the United States. A number of delegations expressed support for these two interventions by Costa Rica.
Delegations gave overwhelming support, in general terms, for the Chair’s text for Article 5. A main focus was discussion around Article 5(2) which provides for: (1) a prohibition against disability-based discrimination; and (2) prohibition against discrimination against PWD on any other grounds. Discussion around retention of "other grounds”, some suggested strengthened with “any” or “all” other suggested weakening (India)
Significantly, one delegation supported the inclusion of a reference to sanctions or remedies in respect of disability discrimination. This was supported and is to be incorporated in some manner into the text.
Thereafter, the Chair opened the floor for interventions by NGOs. The International Disability Caucus (IDC) intervened with a number of points drawn fro the IDC Commentary on the Chair’s text.
The Chair determined to redraft and circulate for review within a day or so.
ARTICLE 8 (RAISING AWARENESS REGARDING DISABILITY)
Delegations supported the inclusion of this Article 8. Some indicated their preference for a more streamlined version of the text, but there was no strong objection to the Chair’s text. One of the more intriguing parts of the session related to the considerable discomfort expressed by some delegations regarding language that addresses changing negative perceptions and social prejudices with regard to “sexuality.” Some called for the deletion of this term, while retaining the references to “marriage, parenthood, and family relations.” South Africa suggested that the phrase “and other matters of life” could resolve the controversy and upset over the term “sexuality.”
In NGO interventions on Article 8, both the IDC and DPI took the floor. Venus Ilagan, Chair of DPI, gave the first DPI intervention of the 7th Session. She emphasized the importance of a provision in the convention requiring States to publicize the convention and any work product of the treaty bodies, and in accessible formats. In a surprising development, the Chair responded directly to this intervention, noting that there was precedent for this type of provision in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and asked whether any delegation objected to this proposal. He noted that there was no objection, signaling universal support for DPI’s proposal!
The Committee started its consideration of Article 9 (Accessibility), but will return to this article tomorrow.
The meeting adjourned at 6pm. Negotiations resume tomorrow at 10am.
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2006-01-17 00:00:00
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