Malta was yesterday one of the first countries to sign a United Nations convention and protocol on the rights of people with disability. The convention was opened for signing yesterday.

The National Commission for People with Disability (KNPD) took an active part in the drafting of the convention, which ensures that the rights of people with disability are safeguarded in a holistic manner. It covers accessibility, health, education, work, entertainment, rehabilitation, participation in political life and equality, and prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability.

The protocol annexed with the convention provides for the creation of a committee for the rights of people with disability made up of 12 experts. The committee is to be enlarged to 18 members, once 60 countries have ratified the protocol. The committee will receive petitions from individuals or groups who have not gained remedies from their home country’s judicial systems. Signatory countries need to report their progress on the implementation of the convention’s provisions to the committee, which has the right to make recommendations.

Upon signing, Malta presented a note of interpretation which says that the phrase “sexual and reproductive health” does not constitute a right to abortion, as it believes that the practice of aborting foetuses that show a defect places people with disability at a disadvantage.

Malta also held a reserve on Article 29 of the Convention that guarantees participation in political and public life. The government said that the right of people with disability to vote is safeguarded by the Constitution. However, it advised the electoral commission to proceed on the wishes of people with disability and political parties in this area.

Now that the convention has been signed, a detailed study of how the laws of Malta need to be adjusted to conform with the treaty will follow.

The government said it wanted to drop its reserves on Article 29, once the convention was ratified.