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Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Jordan is participating in the10th session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), currently being held in New York.

The meeting this year is held under the theme "Inclusion and full participation of persons with disabilities and their representative organizations in the implementation of the Convention." It aims at addressing the impact of multiple discrimination on persons with disabilities and promoting their participation. It is also designed to enhance multi-stakeholder partnerships for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in line with the CRPD.

In his speech delivered at the meeting, Head of Jordan's delegation, Secretary General of the Higher Council for the Affairs of Persons with Disabilities (HCD), Muhannad Al-Azza, highlighted the achievements the Kingdom has made in terms of the implementation of the SDGs of the 2030 agenda.

Jordan has recently ratified the new "Law on the Rights for Persons with Disabilities" for the year 2017, which was published in the Official Gazette, he said.

Al-Azza pointed out that Jordan is at the forefront of countries that have achieved qualitative legislative steps towards people with disabilities, starting with the inclusion of proposals to amend the Penal Code, which considers disability an aggravating factor in crimes of physical and sexual assault, criminal negligence and fraud crimes.

Law No. 20 of 2017 on the rights of people with disability included advanced definitions of disability, violence, discrimination, and others. In addition to that, the law has also introduced specific time frames during which the concerned parties must fulfill their obligations under the provisions of the law.

The Conference of States Parties is held each year to exchange experience and ideas for implementation of the convention, which was adopted in December 2006 with the aim of promoting full equality and participation of persons with disabilities in society.

This year's meeting brought together 173 countries that have joined the convention, making it one of the most widely ratified international human rights instrument.

"This conference needs to achieve a clear understanding on how to reach the most vulnerable among disabled persons, those who are affected by humanitarian crises and natural disasters and military conflicts," said Theresia Degener, Head of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

"Most often (the most vulnerable among disabled persons) are disabled women and disabled girls. And if we do not tackle multiple discrimination, we don’t reach these most vulnerable groups of persons with disabilities," she added in an interview with UN News ahead of the meeting.