NGO association calls on Parliament to immediately ratify Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

An association composed of 14 nongovernmental organizations asks the Parliament of Moldova to immediately ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities that was adopted by it a year ago. Representatives of the association told a news conference held at Info-Prim Neo on December 2 that only after the Convention is ratified, the persons with disabilities will have real chances to integrate into the society. According to representatives of the association, Moldova’s economy would also gain advantages if the Parliament ratifies the Convention. The invalids who are now regarded only as beneficiaries of social allowances will have equal rights to work and contribute to the development of the economy. “The Convention offers the possibility of international cooperation, of importing the best practices and support from the states with richer experience in the field,” said Nicolae Besliu, a member of the association. Asked what reasons the Parliament could invoke not to ratify the document, the NGO representatives said that the MPs might say that the procedure is too costly. “It is not true because the Convention is implemented gradually, progressively, on the basis of the resources available in the state budget,” said legal expert Ion Cibotarica. In order to make the MPs to take a positive decision as soon as possible, the members of the association said that they will seek help from all the organizations that safeguard the interests of the persons with disabilities and of the ordinary people. “We have a number of problems that must be solved. The state should intervene. Many children remain outside the educational process. There are also physical impediments as the public places are not appropriately equipped,” said the secretary of the Initiative for the Ratification of the UN Convention Ecaterina Golovatai. She also said that the public transport is not adjusted to the needs of the persons with disabilities. When ratified, the Convention will create conditions for social equity, members of the association stressed. Every 20th person in Moldova suffers from a disability and is categorized as disabled. The United Nations statistics shows that around 10 percent of the world’s population, or 650 million people, live with a disability. About 80% of them live in underdeveloped countries. The Initiative for the Ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Soros-Moldova Foundation and the OSCE Mission to Moldova.