- Reset +

President of Estonia signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Wednesday, 26 September 2007 16:50

On 25 September, President Toomas Hendrik Ilves signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which the world organization passed in December 2006.

The Convention obligates the countries agreeing to it to protect the rights of the disabled, to eliminate all forms of discrimination, and promote their rights, including in educational, health-care and social spheres.

“Support for the disabled, our attitude toward their rights, and their broad-based involvement in the society demonstrate the health, maturity, and strength of our society,” said President Ilves.

Compliance with the Convention will be monitoring by a supervisory committee comprised of experts, to which the countries will submit reports regarding compliance with the Convention.

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Persons with Disabilities has not come into force yet; this will happen after the Convention is ratified by 20 countries.

“I hope that the Convention, which has been jointly supported by the European Union member states, will also be ratified as soon as possible by Estonia,” said President Ilves.

Office of the President
Public Relations Department
Phone +372 631 6229