SocialDialogue.net

Date: 5-9-2003

At the September 2003 European Parliament Plenary Session Liz Lynne MEP, for the Employment and Social Affairs Committee, will be tabling a draft own-initiative resolution on the Commission Communication entitled "Towards a United Nations legally binding instrument to promote and protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities". The Resolution welcomes the UN initiative and the Commission's position regarding the possible Convention, but points out that the Commission had failed to provide any timetable for a future comprehensive EU directive on disabled people's rights, nor has it made any real political commitments to mainstream disabled people's rights within its development co-operation policy. MEPs in the committee stress that the outcome of the UN process must be a legally binding Convention with an effective monitoring mechanism, similar to the six human rights conventions that have already been adopted by the UN. They also want to ensure that organisations of disabled people and organisations representing them are fully involved in the negotiations, in the drafting and monitoring of the Convention.