Post Date: December 2, 2005
On Saturday, December 3, Harvard Law School will host a seminar to address international disability rights. As the United Nations proceeds with a three-year planning process to develop a new human rights treaty regarding the disabled, this seminar will offer a public forum for discussing the treaty and its implementation.
“The treaty negotiations are at a crucial stage, and Harvard is providing an invaluable forum for considering innovative approaches to the convention’s future monitoring and implementation,” said Visiting Professor Michael Stein, a principal organizer of the event. “The seminar is unique because it will assemble representative delegations of National Human Rights Institutions from around the world to collectively work out their views on monitoring, and also allow input from non-governmental organizations, stakeholders and the talented Harvard faculty.”
The UN treaty will affect an estimated 600 million people with disabilities around the world. This conference will create an opportunity for scholars and representatives of international human rights organizations to discuss concerns, debate drafts and collaborate on implementation strategies.
Speakers include Dr Timothy Shriver, chair of the board for Special Olympics International; Ambassador Luis Gallegos, permanent representative of Ecuador to the United States; and members of the HLS faculty. The event is co-sponsored by three programs at HLS: the Human Rights Program, East Asian Legal Studies and International Legal Studies Program.