IN a press statement from the PM’s Press Secretariat in September 2015, Prime Minister Sogavare said, “Ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) can be done in Solomon Islands and transmitted to the UN. Furthermore any decision by the government to ratify this convention does not even need to be approved by Parliament. All we need is a Cabinet Paper for endorsement by Cabinet and we will proceed to be a signatory to the CRPD.”

According to Radio New Zealand International (RNZI), Fiji’s Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama has supported ratification for the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Quoting RNZI, The Prime Minister made the announcement at the UN Headquarters in New York during a ceremony last week.

He spoke of Fiji’s commitment to full equality for all citizens before formally committing Fiji’s support to the UN to guarantee equal rights and dignity to people with disabilities.

He said, “Fiji must always be inclusive in order to progress forward as a nation.”

Solomon Islands pledge to ratify the UNCRPD is still to be made.

Yours sincerely

Frank Short