Euro-Rapporteur outlines plans for UN disabled people charter

10.39.20am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 8th Apr 2003

Liz has worked hard to push disabled people's rights in the European Parliament since her election in 1999.

Euro-MP Liz Lynne, who has been made the European Parliament's Rapporteur for the UN Convention on Disabled People's Rights, has outlined her thoughts on what the UN Convention should eventually look like at a conference of disabled people's organisations from across Europe in Madrid today.

Liz has been working on a draft of her report to the European Parliament since being given the role last month. She has outlined a number of rights that all disabled people around the world should be able to expect, including:

· Access to information and education

· Access to employment and vocational training

· Access to buildings, facilities, public transport and the right to live in the community

· Access to health

· Access to culture and leisure

· Access to financial support

· Equality before the law

· Civil and political rights

Civilians continue to be maimed and killed by landmines and cluster bombs years after a conflict has finished.

In her speech, Liz will say:

"I found it depressingly ironic that just days after being given the role of writing a report on behalf of the European Parliament for the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled People, the UK and the US have bypassed the UN and attacked Iraq – creating many more disabled people in so doing."

"However, we should not lose sight of the fact that this organisation is still the best we have in terms of protecting human rights in the world. And it is human rights, the human rights of disabled people that we must be talking about in a UN Convention. It is not charity, not welfare, not a medical model, but the rights based model."

"I've been directly involved in the development of legislation on disabled people's rights in the UK – when I worked on the Disability Discrimination Act as an MP in Westminster – and now at the EU level. I am looking forward to pushing for it at the international level as well, but I realise that fine words are worth little if they are not implemented. As with the passing of the UN Declaration of Human Rights more than 50 years ago, the fight is only really just beginning in many parts of the world."

Liz was also the Rapporteur of the European Year of People with Disabilities 2003.