Juliana Lara Resende and Alberto Cremonesi
UNITED NATIONS, Aug 29 2006 (IPS) – After five years of debate on a draft treaty to protect the rights of the disabled, which will directly affect 650 million people, or 10 percent of the global population, the United Nations has finalised its first ever legally binding treaty on the issue.
The new treaty, unveiled last Friday, would require countries to guarantee freedom from exploitation and abuse for the disabled, while protecting rights they already have, such as ensuring voting rights for blind people and providing wheelchair-accessible buildings. The convention calls for the progressive realisation of most of its provisions, in line with the resources of individual countries.
This convention will call the attention ins…