Celebrate the Universality of Human Rights!
Geneva, 10 December 2011 – This Human Rights Day IDA applauds the global human rights community for speaking out and reclaiming their rights, and pays special tribute to the disability rights movement which played an integral role in rallying for democracy worldwide.
The past year has seen a wave of civil uprising; people have taken to the streets to call for democratic change and respect for their human rights. Even in the face of violent repression, social resistance has given way to the successive fall of long standing oppressive regimes, creating the opportunity to start anew and to participate in the rebuilding of nations solidly founded on democratic principles and human rights.
Persons with disabilities and their representative organisations have been an active n these social movements to revive the voice of the people and ensure these voices are heard throughout the process of national transition. Tunisia was the starting point of the Arab Spring and the first country to be reviewed by any UN treaty body following the revolutions this year. This treaty body was the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD Committee), and incidentally Tunisia was the first country the Committee reviewed. Thanks to the persistence and solidarity of the renewed disability movement in Tunisia, the CRPD Committee’s recommendations on the upcoming elections were put into action; DPOs mobilised to advocate for the right to political participation and accessibility before the Independent High Authority for the Elections (ISIE) and conducted awareness raising campaigns amongst disability groups across the regions so that on 23 October, persons with disabilities were able to have their say in the new political path of their country by participating in the elections as never before seen in Tunisia.
Human Rights Day celebrates the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), now 63 years old. Article 21 of the UDHR specifically states that “the will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.” While this right is often translated into national legislation with exceptions and exclusions targeting persons with psychosocial disabilities, intellectual disabilities and/or persons deprived of their legal capacity, Article 29 of the CRPD reinforces the inclusive nature of universal and equal suffrage, and the CRPD Committee has issued consecutive recommendations to underline that there can be no limitations to it, regardless of a judge’s decision, prescription in the law, or an individual’s impairment.
This Human Rights Day, IDA calls on civil society, States, the UN, and other intergovernmental bodies, to celebrate universal suffrage as a human right and prerequisite to democracy, and to take active steps to remove barriers to ensure that all persons with disabilities exercise this fundamental right and are enabled to engage in public life on an equal basis with others. As stated by Diane Richler, IDA Chair, “This year we have been reminded that inclusive societies and democracies are built on the active participation of all citizens, particularly those who have been the most disadvantaged and overlooked in the past. All democracies, old and new, need to ask themselves whether each of their citizens have the right to express their will and exercise their civic duties, and what they are doing to effectively promote and guarantee the universality of human rights.”
Contact: Stefan Trömel at stromel [at] ida-secretariat.org
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