(UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons with disabilities and its Optional
Protocol on behalf of South Africa
29 March 2007
Dr EG Pahad, the Minister in the Presidency left for New York last night to
attend the Official Ceremony on the opening for signature of the UN Convention
on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on 30 March 2007.
This Convention is the first human rights treaty to be adopted by the UN in
the 21st Century. The Convention stands to benefit 650 million persons with
disabilities who are among the most marginalised in the world. The convention
includes a full range of human rights as well as measures to implement them
effectively.
South Africa played an instrumental role in the negotiations that led to the
adoption of the treaty and strongly supported the promotion and adoption of the
Convention and its Optional Protocol.
Enquiries:
Louis du Plooy
The Presidency
Cell: 082 575 3985
Issued by: Government Communications (GCIS) on behalf of The
Presidency
29 March 2007
