CAPE TOWN:

The Secretariat of the African Decade for Persons with Disabilities (SADPD) would like to congratulate Mr. Shuaib Chalklen (South Africa) on his appointment as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Disability.

The Special Rapporteur has the mandate to monitor the implementation of the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities and to advance the status of persons with disabilities globally. Mr. Chalklen’s appointment as the third Special Rapporteur comes after that of Mr. Bengt Lindqvist (Sweden) who served from 1994 to 2002 and Sheikha Hessa Khalifa bin Ahmed al-Thani (Qatar), who served from 2003 to June 2009.

Mr. Chalklen is a former CEO of The SADPD who served from 2003 to 2006 and has worked as a Head of the Office on the Status of Persons with Disabilities (OSDP) in South Africa from (1996-2001).  Mr. Chalklen is also a world-renowned disability and human rights activist.

Mr Chalklen’s appointment is for the period 2009 -2011. The SADPD commits to working with Mr. Chalklen and wish him a successful tenure as Special Rapporteur on Disability.

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