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Ammon News - Secretary-General of the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (HCD) Mohannad Azza has been elected to represent Jordan as a member of the United Nations' Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

According to an HCD statement on Wednesday, Azza received 136 votes after a long series of support and promotion campaigns among UN member states, spearheaded by the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, the Permanent Mission of Jordan to the United Nations and the HCD.

Of the thirteen candidates from around the world who competed for a seat, only nine were selected for membership of the committee, which is responsible for monitoring state parties' adherence to the UN's Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, reviewing reports of civil society organizations, and investigating complaints by individuals and institutions that have agreed on the optional protocol of the convention.

"It is a great honor for me to represent Jordan on an international level," Azza said, underscoring his commitment to boosting the committee's work through furthering communication and constructive dialogue with state parties, thus enabling developing countries to attract technical and financial support and enhancing the UN's internal coordination to include the rights of people with disabilities in its programs and outcomes.

He added that the win was the fruit of the continuous effort and support of His Highness Prince Mired Bin Raad, who is the President of the HCD, through holding multiple meetings with diplomatic representatives in Jordan.

Azza is the first person with a disability appointed as a senator from 2013 to 2016. He is an accredited international expert in the field of human rights and legislative drafting and has taken part in drafting the UN's Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and several human rights-related laws such as the Jordanian law on Persons with Disabilities, Pakistan's Disability Rights Act, and a regional disability law proposed by the World Health Organization.