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The
Committee
The First meeting of the Committee for the Elimination of
All Forms of Discrimination against Persons with
Disabilities, was held on February 28 and March 1, 2007 in
Panama City, Panama. This First meeting convened in
accordance with a mandate included in the Inter-American
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Persons with Disabilities, and it was reaffirmed by
the General Assembly in its resolution [AG/RES.2167
(XXXVI-O/06)].
The Inter-American
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Persons with Disabilities, adopted in Guatemala on
June 7, 1999, during the Twenty-Ninth Regular Session of the
General Assembly of the Organization, entered into force on
September 14, 2001. Currently 17 member States have ratified
the Convention. Article VI of the Convention provides that,
to follow up on the commitments undertaken therein, a
Committee for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Persons with Disabilities, composed of one
representative appointed by each state party, was to be
established.
At the last ordinary
session the General Assembly, reunited in Santo Domingo,
Dominican Republic, adopted Resolution [AG/RES.2167
(XXXVI-O/06)], “Establishment of the Committee Provided
for in the Inter-American Convention on the Elimination of
All Forms of Discrimination against Persons with
Disabilities”, which requires the Secretary General to
convene the first meeting of the Committee and to present to
the member states, through the Permanent Council, a proposal
on the documents needed in order to activate the Committee.
The Permanent Counsel
adopted, on December 18 2006, a proposal from the Government
of Panama to host the First meeting of the Committee for the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Persons
with Disabilities, to be held on February 28 and March 1,
2007.
According to the
Convention, the Committee shall be the forum for assessment
of progress made in the application of the Convention and
for the exchange of experience among the Member States
parties. The reports prepared by the Committee shall reflect
the deliberations; shall include information on any measures
adopted by the Member States parties pursuant to this
Convention on any progress they have made in eliminating all
forms of discrimination against persons with disabilities,
and on any circumstances or difficulties they have
encountered in the implementation of the Convention; and
shall include the Committee's conclusions, its observations,
and its general suggestions for the gradual fulfillment of
the Convention.
During its First Meeting,
the Committee adopted some basic documents to facilitate its
mission:
[The
Rule of proceedings];
[The
General Orientations of the contents of the report to be
presented to the Committee]; and
[The
working procedures].
All this information is
available in both English and Spanish versions.
Moreover, Member States
parties to the Convention have presented their first report
to the Committee, information that is only available in
Spanish. |
