PRESS RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE
.by Shahrizat Abdul Jalil on Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 5:34pm.PRESS RELEASE

YB SENATOR DATO' SRI SHAHRIZAT ABDUL JALIL
MINISTER OF WOMEN, FAMILY AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
ON
RATIFICATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES


Kuala Lumpur, 2 March 2010 – The Minister of Women, Family and Community Development Dato’ Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil announced today that Malaysia will be ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in April 2010.

The Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development has already begun taking concrete steps to realize the UNCRPD and the Persons with Disabilities Act 2008. Several priority areas on issues relating to the rights of persons with disabilities have been identified, whereby two areas targeted for 2010 are accessibility and employment.

Beginning with Melaka, Pahang, Sarawak, and Kuala Lumpur, the Ministry will be working closely with local councils and state government agencies to ensure that all existing guidelines and standards such as the Uniform Buildings Bylaws (UBBL) are adhered to and enforced. Dato’ Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil advocated that local councils start looking into establishing special units within their respective agencies to deal specifically with issues relating to accessibility. She also noted that these special units should employ persons with disabilities.

Serious about the implications of ratifying the UNCRPD, Dato’ Sri Shahrizat said the Ministry will continue to monitor the implementation of the Convention and the PWD Act 2008 to ensure Malaysia’s continued progress towards an inclusive and rights-based society.