Author: Iryna Tekuchova, PhD Researcher, Department of Law, Maynooth University
Iryna Tekuchova
The health application on my phone notified me that, within the three days that comprised the 15th session of the UN Conference of State Parties to the CRPD (the UN COSP 15), I walked 18 km. And these 18 km, 23687 steps, were made only in the New York UN Headquarters: a 39-floor building located on 17 acres of land, with the General Assembly Hall capable of accommodating 1158 country delegates and hundreds of NGO representatives. So, what is the UN COSP, and what is behind its agenda that turns you into an ‘athlete’?
Author: Iryna Tekuchova, PhD Researcher, Department of Law, Maynooth University.
Iryna Tekuchova
“Being a human rights treaty body member is highly rewarding,” states the UN Handbook for Human Rights Treaty Body Members. It also mentions that the member of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (the Committee) is expected to have “high moral character” and “recognized competence and experience in the field”. However, this document is silent about the fact that beyond these qualities and merits, the candidates to the Committee often have to face a rocky electoral path, which turns to be difficult for many. Being an expert in a field covered by the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (the CRPD) and having “high moral character” is not enough to have a real chance to be elected.
In 2020, I had the unique opportunity to coordinate the election campaign of one of my former colleagues in the Ukrainian organization for people with disabilities “Fight For Right”, who stood as the Ukrainian candidate to the Committee in the seventh election cycle. Looking back at the nomination and election campaign paths, which we have done, I can identify some tendencies and systematic challenges of these processes relevant for the candidates and the countries. Even though each candidate’s experience is unique and varies from State to State, some points of concern, incidental for Ukraine, might resonate with other countries and, thus, be subject to further analyses. In this blogpost, I would like to highlight four issues that may directly or indirectly influence the efficiency of the whole election process to the Committee.
