The Government of Saint Lucia today signed before the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS) the Inter-American Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities.
During the ceremony, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saint Lucia, Alva Baptiste, highlighted that the signing of the instrument "reaffirms the commitment of the Government of Saint Lucia to protect those who need protection the most." "We thank the OAS for this opportunity and for the support and work done to reach this point," added Foreign Minister Baptiste.
For his part, the Secretary General of the OAS, Luis Almagro, emphasized that "we value and appreciate the efforts that Saint Lucia is making to ratify rights protection instruments like this one." "We welcome the commitment of Saint Lucia, which today signed this important legal instrument, with the hope that its ratification can take shape as soon as possible."
The Inter-American Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities was adopted in Guatemala City in 1999 and entered into force in 2001. To date, it has been ratified by 19 countries in the Hemisphere.
Reference: FNE-144083
