Candidate from Thailand Elected to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

(17/09/2012)

Senator Monthian Buntan of Thailand has been elected to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities for the term 2013-2016. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Buntan was among nine candidates elected as new members of the committee to replace those whose terms are due to expire on 31 December 2012. The election took place at the fifth session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at the United Nation Headquarters in New York on 12-14 September 2012. Born with visual impairment, Mr. Buntan was successfully elected with the highest score among 20 candidates. He gained the score of 84 votes out of the total votes from 115 countries. His score was equivalent to that received by the United Kingdom’s candidate. Apart from candidates from Thailand and the United Kingdom being elected with 84 votes each, seven more candidates were also elected to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. They include candidates from Chile, Guatemala, Hungary, Jordan, Spain, Turkey, and Uganda. The nine candidates would replace members from Algeria, Bangladesh, Chile, China, Guatemala, Hungary, Jordan, Qatar, and Spain, whose terms are due to expire at the end of 2012. The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is the body of independent experts that monitors implementation of the Convention by the States Parties. All States parties are obliged to submit regular reports to the Committee on how the rights are being implemented. Mr. Buntan has also been very active in the disability movement at both the regional and international levels. He is a founder and Secretary-General of the Thai Blind People’s Foundation and a former President of the Thailand Association of the Blind. He has also played a leading role in drafting the 2007 Persons with Disabilities Empowerment Act and the 2008 Education Act for Persons with Disabilities to promote educational and employment opportunities for persons with disabilities. Currently, Mr. Buntan is a member of the Executive Committee of the Foundation of the Asia-Pacific Development Centre on Disability, as well as Thailand’s representative at the United Nations Ad-Hoc Committee for the elaboration of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability from 2003 to 2006. He has also spearheaded numerous activities, aimed at promoting and protecting the rights of persons with disabilities. The Thai government is confident that Mr. Buntan will contribute significantly to the objectives of the Convention of the Rights on Persons with Disabilities in order to promote and protect the rights of persons with disabilities throughout the world.