Dhaka: A United Nations human rights expert on Tuesday insisted that States must urgently step up their works to make sure that persons with disabilities can take their places as equal members of society.

UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities Catalina Devandas Aguilar came up with the called in a statement marking the 10th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities that falls December 13.

A decade after the Convention was adopted, some of the most basic issues have not been addressed, and many persons with disabilities remain marginalised and excluded, she was quoted in a statement received here from Geneva.

In a strongly-worded statement, Devandas Aguilar says the overall progress is ‘only peripheral’ and urgent action is needed to deliver full rights to the global population of almost one billion adults and at least 93 million children with disabilities in the world. 

“Thanks to the Convention, every one of them can claim rights that relate to every single area of their lives. It is now vital to ensure that this translates into significant improvements and tangible changes in their lives,” the Special Rapporteur noted.

She said the systems in many countries are falling short or responding inadequately to the challenge of turning the Convention into daily reality. “Many States have declared their desire to protect persons with disabilities through public policies and social protection systems,” she said. 

Devandas hailed progress, including new laws, policies and programmes in some States, and the placing of disability issues at the heart of international processes, including the new Sustainable Development Goals. 

But, she said, many States simply did not understand the advanced model of human rights and disability set out in the Convention. “They may have decided in principle to act, but still struggle with issues as basic as inclusion, non-discrimination, reasonable accommodation and support services.”