A record number of Deaf delegates and representatives attended the 3-week session at the United Nations in NYC(16January– 3 February 2006). The increase in Deaf participants is undoubtedly due to the WFD International Conference on Human Rights, conducted September 2005 in Finland, which attracted over 500 participants from about 80 countries.
WFD President Markku JOKINEN and President Emerita Liisa KAUPPINEN have been leading advocates in this whole process. Dr. Liisa KAUPPINEN is the main negotiator of WFD in New York and stayed for 3 weeks. President Markku JOKINEN joined her and the other Deaf representatives for a week. Four Deaf delegates who could vote along with government delegates were from Italy , Japan, Russia and South Africa. In addition there were also a number of representatives and participants who lobbied the delegates on the behalf of the global Deaf community. They were from Australia , Canada, Colombia, Chile, Finland, Italy, Japan, and also from WFD and CIR. WFD is recognized as an important advocate and player by the United Nations.
WFD has submitted comments on the proposed Convention. These pertain primarily to full access and sign language in Article 2, Definitions; Article 9, Accessibility; Article 21, Freedom of expression and opinion, and access to information; Article 24, Education; and Article 30, Participation in cultural life, recreation, leisure and sport. Reference to sign language in article 9 (Accessibility) or 21 (Freedom of expression and opinion, and access to information) covers Deaf people’s rights in many other articles. In addition, WFD has addressed the Assembly at the Ad Hoc Committee meetings and lobbied to ensure equality and quality of life for all Deaf people everywhere.
To read the full text of WFD’s comments and the intervention Markku JOKINEN made, please visit the WFD website (www.wfdeaf.org).
The work is just beginning with the United Nations Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities (for short, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities). You need to work with your national association of the deaf and other groups to lobby your government to support the passage of this new Convention in the UN and then you need to lobby your government to support and ratify this new Convention and then to enforce it. |
