Participants of a programme have urged the governments of South Asia to ratify the United Nations Convention on Rights of the Persons with Disabilities to ensure the rights of the disabled.

Presenting a paper on the UN Convention at a workshop during the People’s SAARC conference in Kathmandu on Saturday, Birendra Raj Pokhrel, president of the National Federation of Disabled Nepal (NFDN), said, “The existing law on the disabled is based on charitable prospective while the convention has ensured the right-based perspective of the disabled. The ratification of the convention would help to pressurise the authorities concerned to ensure the rights of the disabled.”

The United Nations adopted the convention on December 13, which has 50 articles based on the principles of inherent dignity and participation of the persons living with disabilities.

He added that the NFDN would start lobbying with the authorities concerned to ratify the convention.

The speakers said approximately 10 percent of the total population are living with disabilities, and the decade-long conflict in the country has increased the number.

They said that the government’s passivity towards the people with physical disabilities is the main reason for not being able to mainstream people with physical disabilities.