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UN expert welcomes legal capacity reform in Colombia to end guardianship regime

By agency reporter
September 2, 2019

A UN expert has welcomed Colombia’s new law guaranteeing the exercise of legal capacity by persons with disabilities, describing it as a major achievement in the recognition of their full citizenship.

“This newly adopted law eliminates all forms of guardianship in Colombia, while also establishing support mechanisms to fully enjoy this fundamental right”, said the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, Catalina Devandas. “This is a huge step towards the equal recognition of persons with disabilities before the law.”

The Colombian initiative joins similar reform processes taking place in Peru and Costa Rica, positioning Latin America’s countries as global leaders in the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

“We are witnessing a paradigm shift in the Latin American region towards the recognition of persons with disabilities as subjects of the same rights and obligations as everybody else. We must acknowledge the importance of this reform taking place in Colombia, and encourage its immediate implementation by the Government”, the UN expert said.

Devandas also called upon other States around the world to follow the Colombian example and undertake similar reforms, eliminating the legal barriers that restrict the legal capacity of persons with disabilities.

“The international commitment to leave no one behind is within our reach. The recognition of legal capacity as an inalienable right of all persons, with or without disabilities, is a fundamental step to its fulfilment”, the Special Rapporteur said. 

* Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Pages/Home.aspx

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