UNITED NATIONS, Aug 28: After five years of negotiations, a UN committee has agreed to adopt a new treaty to advance and protect the rights of persons with a disability. All 193 UN member states approved the draft.

The treaty recognises that persons with a disability should have the right to participate in sporting activities with a choice between mainstream and disability-specific programmes; have equal access to sporting activities in the school system; and have access to sporting and recreational venues whether as a participant or as a spectator. Around 650 million people worldwide live with a disability.

This is the first convention of this magnitude for this century, UN General Assembly President Jan Eliasson said after the agreement was reached.

He told the negotiators that they were conveying to the world ‘the message that we want to have a life with dignity for all and that all human beings are all equal.

This marks a great day for the UN and for persons with disabilities, said New Zealand’s Ambassador Don MacKay. It’s a good convention and it will make a difference for millions of people.

The successful completion of the treaty, after a day of intense negotiations and compromises that capped years of effort, was met with applause by over 100 government delegations and hundreds of representatives of disability organisations.

While the convention does not create new rights, it specifically prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities in all areas of life, including civil rights, access to justice and the right to education, health services and access to transportation.

The convention will be sent to the General Assembly for adoption at its next session, which begins next month. It will then be open for signing and ratification by all member states.