Special care for special people

The meeting held recently at the UN headquarters in New York on the rights of persons with disabilities highlighted the importance of the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and called for making these rights an integral and indispensable part of the post-2015 development agenda.

The need to grant persons with disabilities their rights has been emphasised of late, with practically every human rights body calling for giving disadvantaged groups greater notice and recognition of their special needs.

Given the number of such people worldwide, their integration into the development plans of countries has become an issue of high priority.

His Highness Prince Mired, who headed Jordan’s delegation to the UN conference in his capacity as head of the Higher Council for Affairs of Persons with Disabilities, had an even more specific proposal: to give marked regard to the rights of persons with disabilities and give their cause a higher priority in the post-2015 development agenda.

He proposed that these rights stand alone as an issue, for greater appreciation.

When the faces and voices of persons with disabilities are explicitly heard and seen, their rights, across the board, have better chance to be noticed and respected, said the prince.

All development policies and practices should give special attention to the rights of persons with disabilities.

Ignoring the plight of many of the disabled means excluding a large group of people from the life of a country, ignoring the contribution they can make and that can only enrich societies and make them better.