Human Rights Commission welcomes United Nations nomination

The Human Rights Commission has welcomed the New Zealand government’s nomination of Kiwi human rights activist Robert Martin to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

“The global Disability Rights movement has our own iconic leaders and heroes and one of them is a guy from Whanganui called Robert Martin,” said Disability Rights Commissioner Paul Gibson.

“During the drafting of the Disability Convention Robert made sure the voices of vulnerable, disabled people were not just heard but enshrined: many disability activists the world over, myself included, believe this Kiwi activist should receive a Nobel Peace Prize.”

This week in New York while presenting New Zealand’s statement to the Seventh Conference of States Parties on the Convention on the Rights of Persons, Disability Issues Minister Tariana Turia announced Mr Martin would be New Zealand’s candidate for the 2017-2020 term of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Born with an intellectual disability, after spending his early life in institutions until his final release, Mr Martin helped lead the development of the modern self-advocacy movement and from 2003-2006 helped draft the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabiilties.

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