Tuesday, August 23
9:00 – 10:30 WBU-ICEVI Joint Plenary Session
Theme: Human rights for persons who are blind or
partially sighted
Keynote
Topic:
United Nations and civil society joint action to promote
the rights of children and adults with visual impairment
Speaker: Aubrey Webson, Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary Permanent Mission of Antigua and
Barbuda to the United Nations
Title: United Nations and civil society:
Joint action to promote the rights of children and adults with visual impairment
I begin with a reflection; I have checked through the WBU website and I have comb
through my own memory and physical organizational bank and I could not find any
organization amongst us that defined itself as a “rights base; or Human rights”
organization. There is talk a plenty about human rights, and the fight for our rights, we
even employ personnel to deal with the rights of individuals. But I could not find a strong
organizational message or philosophy that simply fronts/up or focus on “human rights”.
Most of our organizations are of course service based. Even the groups that are
consumer based are driven to service.
A definition of Human rights;
Human rights, according to the UN Human rights office of the Commissioner, are rights
inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national
or ethnic origin, color, religion, language, or any other status. We are all equally entitled
to our human rights without discrimination. These rights are all interrelated,
interdependent and indivisible.
Universal human rights are often expressed and guaranteed by law, in the forms of
treaties, customary international law, general principles and other sources of
international law. International human rights law lays down obligations of Governments
to act in certain ways or to refrain from certain acts, in order to promote and protect
human
rights
and
fundamental
freedoms
of
individuals
or
groups.
We should recognize the universality of these rights and ensure that our focus is not
limited to the visually impaired but to all people with disabilities. We have to ensure that
any progress that is made is lived by all people with disabilities; from those of us who
are able to function in society to those of us who need much more assistance and
advocacy in order for them to participate more fully in their communities. We have a
responsibility to ensure that the people with severe disability, who need champions, can
find the help they need in us.
The United Nation and Human Rights;
Promoting respect for human rights is a core purpose of the United Nations and
defines its identity as an organization for people around the world. Member States
have mandated the Secretary-General and the UN System to help them achieve
the standards set out in the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights. To do so, the UN System uses all the resources at its disposal, including
its moral authority, diplomatic creativity and operational reach. Member States,
however, have the primary responsibility for protecting human rights of their
populations.
In November 2013, the Secretary-General renewed the commitment of the United
Nations Secretariat, agencies, funds and programmers to upholding the responsibilities
assigned to them by the Charter of the United Nations.
That was a first step in implementing the “Human Rights up Front” action plan, which
places better system preparedness and preventive action at the core of United Nations
efforts to avoid future conflict. The action plan reaffirms the centrality of human rights to
the work of the Organization and confirms that it will use the full breadth of its mandates
to protect people at risk. Events across the globe in the past year testified to the need
for human rights to be integral to all that the United Nations does. The early warning
role is fundamental to the Organization’s efforts to take preventive action to avoid
conflict.
The United Nations system has made progress on far-reaching policy initiatives aimed
at mainstreaming human rights throughout its work. Human rights standards and
principles were taken into account in the design of the post-2015 development agenda.
The Organization has continued to take an active role in ensuring that the essential
human rights dimensions of freedom from fear and freedom from want remain central to
that discussion.
Global human rights challenges, such as migration, disabilities, rights of women and
children, sexual orientation, and the rights of various minorities, are being addressed
through promotion of equality and countering discrimination. A higher number of
ratifications in the past year of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
demonstrate that States are receptive to new approaches on this issue. There are more
international migrants on the move now than ever before in human history, many of
them facing unacceptable levels of human rights abuses throughout the migration cycle,
in countries of origin, transit and destination. In response, the United Nations has
appealed for protection of the human rights of all migrants and called on Governments
to embrace migration as essential for inclusive and sustainable social and economic
development.
I will return to three issues in a bit;
The rights of women and girls, children and refugees and migrants.
Civil society and Human rights;
A definition of civil society might be:
The private sphere, referred to as the "third sector" of society, distinct from
government and business.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_society
A civil society is comprised of groups or organizations working in the interest of the
citizens but operating outside of the governmental and for-profit sectors.
Role of civil society in promoting human rights ultimately, is about forming a citizen
sufficiently armed to defend his/her rights. The aim is to achieve the empowerment
which entails the participation of individuals in the definition of their rights and freedoms.
Beyond its role of monitoring respect for human rights, laws and their constitutionality,
safeguarding the physical security of person, safeguarding the lawful property,
safeguarding public properties, elements that are central in the protection and
empowerment, civil society has a role to play as:
- a force of proposal of new social values that respect human dignity, physical security
of person, freedoms and responsibilities, as every right implies its corollary: a duty;
- A force of change by mobilizing people;
- A force for generating ideas with the support of experts and researchers;
- A catalyst for new practices on the ground that give its work a social pillar, strength
and legitimacy.
This approach of course is aligned to democracy-building, which is:
- A moral requirement, a practice and an instrument of justice, equality and rule of law;
- A control of the community on the powers, a way of ensuring opportunity for people to
participate in the process of decision-making, implementation and monitoring of
projects.
Let us return then to disability and rights;
As people with disabilities we must be the watchdogs for the organization and
commitments that are established to further our development. We must participate fully
and ensure that our perspective, needs and visions are reflected in these documents.
We must also be honest with ourselves; we must make the effort to inform ourselves
and our communities and families of services and opportunities that may be available….
Children’s rights:
The 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child is the first binding instrument in
international law to deal comprehensively with the human rights of children, and is
notable for the inclusion of an article specifically concerned with the rights of children
with disabilities. The implementation of the CRC is monitored and promoted at the
international level by the Committee on the Rights of the Child.
The CRC identifies four general principles that provide the foundation for the realization
of all other rights: • non-discrimination; • the best interests of the child; • survival and
development; • respect for the views of the child. The principle of non-discrimination is
reflected in article 2 of the CRC that expressly prohibits discrimination on the grounds of
disability.
Another important convention is the 1994 Salamanca Statement and the Framework for
Action on Special Needs Education. Adopted by the UNESCO World Conference on
Special Needs Education: Access and Quality, Salamanca, Spain, 7-10 June 1994.
Adopted by 92 governments and over 25 international organizations, putting the
principle of inclusion on the educational agenda worldwide.
The Right of persons who are blind within the context of the 20-30 agenda. The right to
read as the WBU defines it: how do we define reading? Where does braille fit? Is it a
living or dying communication tool? Is it a living or dying method of learning for children
who are blind?
Discrimination is often compounded for women and children on the grounds of gender,
age and minority status.
Gender related violence is a cause and consequence of disability. In Asia, gender
related practices such as son preference, abandonment of the girl child, discriminatory
feeding practices, child marriage, dowry, honor crimes, acid burnings, stove accidents,
and so on---these are all gender related acts of violence that lead to mental, physical
and psycho social disability.
Women’s Rights:
Disability groups have not been committed to women’s rights and freedoms and women
have been a major part of this movement. Literature on disability in both developed and
developing countries concurs that disabled women are far more disadvantaged by their
condition than disabled men. Disabled women contend with multiple disadvantages and
quite often experience discrimination as a result of both their gender and their disability.
Disabled women are less likely to have a job or business than disabled men. Disabled
girls are less likely to go to school and those who do receive schooling are less likely to
be employed, earn lower wages and have fewer chances to participate in postsecondary training or education.
This is reflected in the current composition of the UNCRPD board where there is
currently one woman on the board. This is an alarming situation as we need to ensure
that we are examples of inclusion and diversity…
In fairness, the WBU has had some champions for women in the past twenty years or
so., at its international leadership levels, there certainly is champions. At the national
levels, there may be room for questions….
Let me now move on to speak about a matter for me that is close; that is about leaving
no one behind. I therefore want to turn to two groups of persons with disability.
Firstly, those whom I call the voiceless; persons who have multiple disabilities and have
little or no voice in the process.
These are the people who need our protection of their human rights most. (Education);
livelihood, right to development and opportunities.
Refugees:
An estimated 6.7 million persons with disabilities are currently displaced.
Women, children and older persons with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to
discrimination, exploitation and violence, and they may have difficulty accessing support
and services that could reduce their risk and vulnerability. Their potential to contribute
and participate in solutions is seldom recognized.
Every year, millions of people are forcibly displaced as a result of natural or other forms
of disasters. Although a significant proportion is persons living with a disability,
remarkably little is known about the incidence and type of disabilities they experience.
Host nations and agencies must design services that best respect rights and address
actual needs. Effective procedures must be devised to identify persons with disabilities
in situations of displacement. Identification tools should not focus simply on impairment,
using a medical approach or disability labeling. Rather, questions should be asked
about functionality and a person’s assistance needs. Proper identification of disability
would go some way to ensuring equal access to appropriate assistance and protection
for all refugees
For me, the situation of persons with disability in refugee camps, and those who are
refugees begs the question from our organizations. Where is the international
“blindness” organization’s interest in refugees? Where is the wbu alinement with
humanitarian need of the person who is blind or visually impaired? We can address the
issues of blindness within the general population. We know what we are doing!
The issue of disability in the refugee population is a travesty. Nothing is done…
In conclusion, I want to leave you with a few thoughts for the future going forward;
1 See if each national member in collaboration with the international partners, could
Undertake a comprehensive review of all legislation in order to ensure consideration to
the inclusion of children with disabilities.
2 prepare and provide for effective remedies/answers in cases of violations of the rights
of children with disabilities and ensure that these are available to national leaders, and
too accessible to all children, families and carers.
3 Develop a national plan for action within the 2030 agenda framed by the relevant
provisions of the CRC and CRPD,
4 our old friend!!! Conduct awareness raising and educational campaigns targeting the
public at large as well as specific groups of professionals.
W. Aubrey Webson