Committee on the Rights of persons with disabilities to hold fourth session from 4 to 8 October 2010

Committee on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities

30 September 2010
BACKGROUND RELEASE

The fourth session of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities will be held at the United Nations Office at Geneva from 4 to 8 October 2010.

On Monday morning, after adopting its agenda and programme of work, the Committee will discuss and approve the report of its third session. It will also discuss and approve the report of the Chairperson on activities undertaken between the third and fourth sessions of the Committee.

During the session, the Committee will engage on a number of topics including cooperation with other United Nations bodies, specialized agencies and other competent bodies in which it will discuss how existing cooperation with various relevant bodies could be further strengthened to enhance the promotion and protection of the rights of persons with disabilities. The Committee will also hold public meetings in which it will discuss submission of reports by States bodies and organizational matters, while in closed meetings the Committee will hold discussions on its methods of work, future meetings and other matters.

On Thursday, 7 October, the Committee will hold a day of general discussion which will be devoted to Article 9 of the Convention pertaining to accessibility. The Committee will also spend time in several closed meetings adopting lists of issues on States party reports. According to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, States parties are required to submit their initial reports to the Committee two years after the entry into force of the Convention for them. May 2010 marked two years since the Convention had entered into force for the first 20 States to ratify it. The Committee has thus far received reports from four States parties.

Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities

Adopted on 13 December 2006 by the General Assembly, the Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities Protocol entered into force on 3 May 2008.

The purpose of the Convention is to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity. Persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.

States parties undertake to ensure and promote the full realization of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all persons with disabilities without discrimination of any kind on the basis of disability. States parties recognize that all persons are equal before and under the law and are entitled without any discrimination to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law. Specific measures which are necessary to accelerate or achieve de facto equality of persons with disabilities shall not be considered discrimination under the terms of the present Convention.

States parties reaffirm that every human being has the inherent right to life and shall take all necessary measures to ensure its effective enjoyment by persons with disabilities on an equal basis with others. States parties reaffirm that persons with disabilities have the right to recognition everywhere as persons before the law. States parties shall recognize that persons with disabilities enjoy legal capacity on an equal basis with others in all aspects of life.

Each State party shall submit to the Committee, through the Secretary-General of the United Nations, a comprehensive report on measures taken to give effect to its obligations under the present Convention and on the progress made in that regard, within two years after the entry into force of the present Convention for the State party concerned. Thereafter, States parties shall submit subsequent reports at least every four years and further whenever the Committee so requests.

States Parties to the Convention

At present the Convention has 94 States parties. They are: Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Canada, Chile, China, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, France, Gabon, Germany, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, India, Iran, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lesotho, Lithuania, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Rwanda, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Syrian Arab Republic, Tanzania, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Yemen and Zambia.

Committee Membership

The members of the Committee are elected for a term of four years and shall be eligible for re-election once. However, the term of six members elected at the first election expire at the end of two years, as decided by a drawing of lots. Those Committee members whose terms expire two years after the first election can be eligible for re-election for a full four-year term if re-nominated.

The current membership of the Committee is as follows: Ms. Amna Ali Al Suweidi (Qatar); Mr. Mohammed Al-Tarawneh (Jordan); Mr. Lotfi Ben Lallohom (Tunisia); Mr. Monsur Ahmed Choudhuri (Bangladesh); Ms. María Soledad Cisternas Reyes (Chile); Mr. György Könczei (Hungary); Ms. Edah Wangechi Maina (Kenya); Mr. Ronald McCallum AO (Australia); Ms. Ana Peláez Narváez (Spain); Mr. Germán Xavier Torres Correa (Ecuador); Mr. Cveto Uršiè (Slovenia); Ms. Jia Yang (China).

Mr. McCallum is president of the Committee, while Mr. Al-Tarawneh, Ms. Peláez Narváez and Ms. Yang serve as vice-presidents and Ms. Maina is Rapporteur.

The six members whose terms shall expire at the end of two years on 31 December 2010 are Mr. Ben Lallohom; Mr. Könczei; Ms. Wangechi Maina; Mr. McCallum AO; Mr. Torres Correa; and Mr. Uršiè.

__________

For use of the information media; not an official record