Sri Lanka to Ratify UNCRPD

International Campaign Coordinator Leonard Cheshire Disability (LCD) UK, Gopal Mitra wants the Government to ratify the United Nation Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) to protect rights and give due recognition to disabled people in society .

He said that Sri Lanka became a signatory to the Convention in 2007 but has not ratified it by incorporating it in the local legal system. If Sri Lanka ratifies the convention it will help to build the image of the country internationally.

Mitra speaking to the media said that the ratification of the Convention will help to protect the rights of disabled people, they are a force to be reckoned with as they consist 10 percent of the global population.

He said that LCD is playing an important role in urging the Government to ratify this convention in the SAARC region. India and Bangladesh are the only two countries that have ratified the Convention from among 66 other countries. At present 140 countries are signatories to the Convention, he said.

LCD Resource Center (LCDRC) Legal Consultant M.H.P Gunaratne said the UN Convention was set up to protect the rights of the disabled and their inherent dignity. "Its ratification will help us to obtain foreign assistance," he said.

He said that though Sri Lanka signed the Convention in 2007 it has not approved the incorporation of this Convention into its legal system. They also conducted several campaigns under the leadership of young persons with disabilities in Sri Lanka to ratify the UNCRPD including the Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake.

Gunaratne said that Sri Lanka accounts for 5-6 percent of its population with impairment and disabilities. Majority of them live in rural areas and constitute one of the most excluded and poor sections of the society.

Attitudinal,institutional and environmental barriers have prevented them from accessing, basic human rights such as education, health care livelihoods, social security, participation and rehabilitation services.