US Poised To Nix UN Treaty on People with Disabilities
On Nov. 10, the United Nations votes on a new treaty to ensure international rights standards are extended to people with disabilities. The United States plans to vote against it.
The United States "is the only country poised to vote against a United Nations convention process which will provide support world wide rights for people with disabilities," writes Lawrence Carter-Long.
The treaty, titled "Comprehensive and Integral International Convention to Promote and Protect the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities," "would bring moral authority and credibility to efforts to achieve justice, equality and inclusion in all parts of the world. Its adoption would be a crucial step towards guaranteeing universal recognition of the human rights of all persons andwould bring international attention and legitimacy to the disability rights movement," says the website ConventionYES.org.
A petition and a letter to sign -- to try to influence the U.S. to change its mind -- is available here. More information about the treaty can be found here.