NZ promotes the rights of persons with disabilities

New Zealand promotes the rights of persons with intellectual disabilities with candidate to the CRPD

Tomorrow (Tuesday 14 June, 10am EST) the UN General Assembly will elect 9 committee members to serve on the Committee for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) at the ninth Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

New Zealand’s candidate for the CRPD is Mr Robert Martin. If Mr Martin is elected, he will be the first committee member to serve with an intellectual disability.

“I believe it’s time to make the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities truly inclusive of all peoples with disabilities” says Mr Martin.

The rights of persons with disabilities is a human rights priority area for New Zealand.

Minister for Disability Issues, Hon Nicky Wagner, will lead New Zealand’s delegation at the Conference of States Parties. “The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities should comprise of members with all kinds of disabilities, reflecting the principle of inclusiveness. Robert would bring an important perspective that has been missing from the Committee” Ms Wagner says.

The CRPD monitors the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which promotes the human rights of persons with disabilities.

Mr Martin’s CV is attached.

http://img.scoop.co.nz/media/pdfs/1606/NZ_Robert_Martin_CV.PDF

http://img.scoop.co.nz/media/pdfs/1606/NZ_CRPD_Aide_Memoire.pdf

Reporter: Congratulations!

Robert Martin: Thank you

Reporter: So tell us please when you started working right here? And what projects are you about to present?

Minister Wagner: Goes back a few years doesn’t it? Started work a very long time ago!

Reporter Yes, because you worked on the text of the convention?

NW: He was originally working alongside the New Zealanders, Don McKay, on the text of the Convention [on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities] and so it is great that he has an opportunity to implement those things that we have been talking about for such a long time.

Robert Martin: Yes, with a win the committee inclusiveness represents all people of disabilities, and people with learning disabilities, we haven’t been at the table before and so now we’re at the table so it means that all the disability sectors are represented so that’s really good.

Minister Wagner: I think it is a real victory for the sector, people with learning disabilities, but also a victory for the United Nations Convention, because they’ve now truly have an inclusive committee. It is a victory for Robert, of course, because he has worked so long, and so hard, and represented people nationally in New Zealand, but also internationally. And we think it is a victory for New Zealand too, because we are so proud of him.

Reporter: Did you campaign for this?

Robert Martin: Yes, it’s taken over two years, but I would like to thank the New Zealand team who did also a lot of hard work behind the scenes, to put my name up, and of course Nicky Wagner who supported me, and it’s fantastic and team I had behind me, of course Cindy who is part of my team.

Reporter: You’re assistant?

Robert Martin: Yeah, my assistant, it has been really good. I think we make a good team together.

Reporter: Well congratulations.

Robert Martin: Thank you.

Reporter: In terms of people with learning disabilities represented, I think people with psychosocial disabilities also would like to increase their involvement as well. How do you think you will work with those people?

Robert Martin: Well I would, in the negotiation I worked with them. We have such a close liaison with them, they have been institutionalised and shut away, all those kinds of things. We know each other, and I’m also a Member of Balance New Zealand which is in Wanganui for people with psychosocial disabilities, in my hometown, so I know them, and you know I think it is really important that you know, we work together, especially on Article 12 around supported decision making model, and being equal before the law, you know, I think those are the ones.

And of course, the closure of all institutions, which is living in the community in Article 19, so I really believe in closing all institutions down, because they are archaic, they are from the 18th century and they are not from the 21st century.

People are citizens of their countries and that’s the way we have to look at people, and also people with disabilities as well, so that’s what I see.

The hard work begins, and I know it’s going to be a lot of hard work, because I think people with learning disabilities know that we can do this stuff, we can actually work. We’ve proved that we can do this stuff because we worked in the negotiations, if we can do that, we can do this. But again, it is a lot of work, and a lot of hard work.

Reporter: And what is the term for New Zealand to be on the chair, for how many years? How long?

Minister Wagner: Chair? Well Robert is on the committee. You start in the beginning of 2017 to 2020.

Reporter: Ok, three years.

Reporter: What is your role?

Minister Wagner: I am the Minister of Disability Issues from New Zealand, and so I work with the disability community, I work with DPO, which are Disabled People Organisations, which Robert has been heavily involved with. We are here to support Robert because we really do believe that people who have learning disabilities have not been represented well. Ten years this convention has been going and this is the first time. So again, as I say, it will be a truly inclusive committee now.

ENDS

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