Dominican Republic ratifies treaty to eliminate discrimination against disabled people February 7, 2007

In a ceremony held at the Organization of American States ( OAS ), the government of the Dominican Republic today formalized its ratification of the Inter-American Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities.

Santo Domingo.- The Ambassador of the Dominican Republic to the OAS, Roberto Alvarez, deposited the instruments of ratification and reiterated his country’s commitment to strengthen and promote human rights and in particular to help integrate people with disabilities into society.

As we all know, the level of state commitment to the human rights of all of its citizens lies in the extent to which it provides help to the most vulnerable groups of society, and unfortunately the disabled have been one sector that traditionally has received little attention from our governments, Ambassador Alvarez said.

The diplomat noted that with this instrument, we hope that not only governments but also organizations throughout society become more aware and begin to join in the effort that belongs to everyone, because this is not only a task for governments, but one that must be carried out by society as a whole.

OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza announced that in accordance with the terms and commitments of the treaty, the states parties will hold the First Meeting of the Committee for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities, which will take place in Panama City from February 28 to March 1.

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