PHA-Exch> Vietnam inks UN Convention on disabled

[Claudio Schuftan]

From: Vern Weitzel <vern.weitzel at gmail.com>
Vietnam inks UN Convention on disabled11:38' 24/10/2007 (GMT+7)

VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnamese Ambassador Le Luong Minh, Head of the
Vietnamese delegation to the United Nations (UN), on behalf of Vietnam,
signed the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities on
October 22.

The convention, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly on December
13th, 2006, seeks to promote, protect and ensure full and equal rights and
freedoms for people with disabilities, and focuses on ways to make their
lives more dignified.

According to the latest statistics released by the UN, there are about 650
million handicapped people worldwide, accounting for 10 percent of the
world's total population.

Around 80 percent of the disabled live in developing countries and the
disability rate is higher among women than among men. About one-third of
the disabled live under the poverty line.

The UN adopted the Declaration on the rights of the disabled in 1975 and
have marked December 3rd as International Day of disabled people since
1982. This year focuses on generating jobs for people with disabilities.

118 countries have so far signed the UN Convention on the rights of
persons with disabilities, the first convention on human rights in the
21st century. The convention has been ratified by six countries, including
Jamaica, Hungary, Panama, Croatia, Cuba and India.

The convention will take effect as soon as it is approved by 20 countries.

Those countries which ratify the convention take on the responsibilities
of issuing laws and taking measures to ensure the rights of the disabled
in addition to wiping out regulations and practices considered as
discriminatory.
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