Cape Town 30 March 2007

53 countries have announced that they will sign the new Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at a ceremony to be held at the UN General Assembly hall on Friday, 30 March, according to the United Nations.  

We at the Secretariat of the African Decade are happy to note that the following African countries will sign the Convention when it opens for signature by States and regional integration organizations: Algeria, Cape Verde, Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania.

When African governments sign the Convention, they honour the commitments they made when they proclaimed the African Decade of Persons with Disabilities in the African Union. The CEO of the Secretariat of the African Decade of Persons with Disabilities, Mr AK Dube, says that it is important for African countries to take a leading position in the signing and ratification of the Convention: "Africans cannot accept second or third spot all the time", he says. He urges African governments to show the world that Africa can be the champion of disability inclusion and mainstreaming.

All of the problem areas faced by individuals with different disabilities in Africa are covered in the new human rights convention. It addresses matters such as access to information and services, equality and non-discrimination, right to life, freedom from violence and abuse, inclusion in communities, education, social protection and health. 

The Convention will enter into force when ratified by 20 countries. Representatives of more than 350 international disability organizations, which were instrumental in drafting the treaty, are expected to attend the signing ceremony.

For updates and information, visit http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable and http://www.un.org/disabilities/convention.

To contact the Secretariat of the African Decade of Persons with Disabilities, please write to info@africandecade.co.za or call +27-21-426 5858.