H.E. MR. YOSHIYUKI MOTOMURA

Speaker Title

Ad Hoc Committee established to consider proposals for a comprehensive and integral international convention to promote and protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities

6 August 2002

Mr. Chairman,

Allow me to take this opportunity to explain for the record the basic position of the Government of Japan on the issues concerning overarching principles relating to a possible legal instrument to promote and protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities. There are four points I wish to make, and I sincerely hope they will be taken into consideration by the Committee.

First, the Government of Japan concurs with the view expressed by many delegates that any such legal instrument, regardless of its form, should be fully compatible with the six core human rights treaties, the work done by the treaty bodies, and especially with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

Second, the Government of Japan is of the view that any affirmative or positive measures it has undertaken domestically to facilitate the participation of persons with disabilities in society are in accord with the concept of equality between persons with and without disabilities. They should not be regarded as discrimination against persons with disabilities.

Third, when we consider establishing a new mechanism for monitoring, we should bear fully in mind GA resolution A/56/253, adopted by consensus, which requests the Secretary-General to make proposals in his report with a view to rationalizing and streamlining the human rights machinery in order to avoid duplication and promote efficiency and effectiveness. Further, we should fully take into account the recent active discussions on streamlining the human rights treaty bodies to avoid duplication. In this regard, whatever measures are taken should be consistent with the discussion and views expressed on streamlining the human rights machinery, including the human rights treaty bodies.

Before concluding, Mr. Chairman, let me state the view of my delegation regarding the report to be adopted by the Ad Hoc Committee. The report should contain recommendations that are acceptable to all delegations and reflect all the views expressed by the full range of parties concerned, including NGOs and persons with disabilities, in a balanced and objective manner. Such a report will be the best point of departure for the future work of the Ad Hoc Committee.

Thank you very much.