Ron McCallum appointed Chair of UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
17 November 2009
Prof Ron McCallum
Vision Australia would like to congratulate our Deputy Chair, Professor Ron McCallum AO on his recent appointment as Chair of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities for 2010.
Blind since a baby, Professor McCallum was elected as a representative to the Disabilities Committee in November 2008, the only Australian currently on a United Nations treaty body.
In March 2009, Professor McCallum was also appointed as the inaugural General Rapporteur with responsibility for reporting to the UN General Assembly on the recommendations and activities of the Committee.
The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has three principal functions, including:
- reviewing the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;
- considering complaints under the Optional Protocol to the Convention; and
- inquiring into grave and systematic violations of the Convention.
We wish Ron the best with his latest role and thank him for his committment to people with disabilities.