CHILE EARTHQUAKE: “RECONSTRUCTION MUST ALSO BECOME A REALITY FOR THE DISABLED,” SAYS UNITED NATIONS EXPERTS COMMITTEE

GENEVA – The United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities called on the Chilean Government and the international community to include in the earthquake reconstruction plans – as a matter of priority – the needs of persons with disabilities, including accessibility to physical space, information, communications, transportation, products and services.

“Reconstruction in the areas affected by the devastating February earthquake and tsunami must also become a reality for the disabled”, said the current Committee’s chairperson, Ronald McCallum, noting that “a recent survey shows that an estimated 12.9 per cent of the Chilean population has disabilities, and many in the affected areas were persons with various forms of disabilities”.

In a recent statement, the 12-member United Nations Committee also recommended that relief measures take into account the special needs of persons with different forms of disabilities, in particular, in warning procedures, evacuation, information and communications.

“Equal attention shall be given to sign language and video captioning of public information regarding the emergency situation”, noted the United Nations expert body, “in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities”.

The Committee stressed the urgent need to focus on the habilitation and rehabilitation of the disabled, including post-traumatic stress care. They also called for “special support in rebuilding their homes, whether in urban or rural areas and those sites that host associations of persons with disabilities and centres that serve them, which have been destroyed or damaged”.

While recognizing the efforts of the Chilean Government in this emergency situation, the United Nations body noted that “Chile must take all necessary measures to ensure the protection and safety of persons with disabilities in situations of risk, including situations of armed conflict, humanitarian emergencies and the occurrence of natural disasters”, as a State party to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The Committee is the body of independent experts monitoring the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which so far has been endorsed by 140 countries. The Convention was adopted on 13 December 2006 by the United Nations General Assembly, and entered into force on 3 May 2008.


Learn more about the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/CRPD/Pages/CRPDIndex.aspx

The Committee’s members: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/CRPD/Pages/Membership.aspx

OHCHR Country Page – Chile: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/LACRegion/Pages/CLIndex.aspx

Note to journalists: The Committee’s Chairperson, Ronald McCallum (Australia) is available for interviews in English. Committee member María Soledad Cisternas Reyes (Chile) is available for interviews in Spanish.

To arrange interviews, please contact Jennifer Ross, OHCHR Regional Office for South America, in Santiago, Chile (Tel: +562 654 1037 / jroos@ohchr.org). For further information, please contact Xabier Celaya, OHCHR Media Unit, in Geneva (Tel: +41 22 917 9383 / xcelaya@ohchr.org).


For use of the information media; not an official record

CRPD10/005E