WASHINGTON, Jun 11, CMC – The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) says St. Kitt-Nevis has signed and accepted two key regional human rights instruments.
It said that Basseterre has signed the Inter-American Convention on Protecting the Human Rights of Older Persons, and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities and that by completing the process the twin island Federation became the 13th country to join the Convention on older persons and the 20th to join the Convention on Person with disabilities.
The Convention on Persons with Disabilities is the first legally binding international instrument on the subject, and was adopted in 1999. It reaffirms that persons with disabilities have the same fundamental rights and freedoms as other people. This includes the right not to be discriminated against because of a disability.
The IACHR, which is a principal and autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), said while Dominica, Jamaica and St. Lucia have already signed this Convention, St. Kitts and Nevis became the second Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country after Haiti, to ratify this instrument.
The Convention on Older Persons was adopted by the OAS member states in 2015 and is the first legally binding treaty seeking to promote, protect, and guarantee the full recognition and exercise of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of older people.
St. Kitts-Nevis joined Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Peru, Suriname, and Uruguay as a State Party to the Convention. The IACHR said that these countries have already pledged to implement legislative, administrative, and other measures to eradicate discrimination and violence against older persons, ensuring their right to a full, independent, and autonomous life.
The IACHR said it is calling on all OAS member states that have not yet ratified the Inter-American Convention on Protecting the Human Rights of Older Persons and on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities to do so.
“The Commission is implementing a strategy to strengthen its work with the Caribbean region through country visits to promote the universalization of the system and cooperation, among other mechanisms.
“It further expresses its readiness to provide technical assistance to States with implementing human rights conventions and to continue working together on initiatives that underscore the value of older people and persons with disabilities and their role and contributions to society,” said the IACHR, which also has the mandate to promote the observance and defense of human rights in the region and acts as an advisory body to the OAS on the matter.
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