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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><B><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt; COLOR: green; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Don MacKay
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/><o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><B><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt; COLOR: green; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">elected
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><B><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt; COLOR: green; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Chair of UN Committee
on Disability Convention <o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
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align=center><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><I><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">United Nations, 13
April</SPAN></I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">
– Ambassador Don MacKay was unanimously elected the new chairperson of the
United Nations committee which is drafting the first-ever convention on the
promotion of the rights of persons with disabilities. He succeeds Luis Gallegos
Chiriboga, who was appointed ambassador of </SPAN><?xml:namespace prefix = st1
ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
/><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">Ecuador</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"> to
</SPAN><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">Australia</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">. Mr. MacKay, the
Permanent Representative of </SPAN><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">New
Zealand</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"> at the United
Nations, has served as coordinator of the informal consultations at the last two
sessions of the Committee -- formally known as Ad Hoc Committee on a
Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on the Protection and
Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities. The Committee
elected Mr. MacKay at the opening of the first organizational meeting for its
sixth session, which will be held at the United Nations from 1 to 12 August.
Thanking the members of the Committee, Mr. MacKay said, "Together we can ensure
that this extremely important convention is concluded as quickly as possible, so
that proper protection and guarantee of rights is provided to persons with
disabilities. “The Committee also elected
</SPAN><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">Jordan</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">, the
</SPAN><st1:place><st1:PlaceName><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">Czech</SPAN></st1:PlaceName><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">
</SPAN><st1:PlaceType><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">Republic</SPAN></st1:PlaceType></st1:place><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"> and
</SPAN><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">Costa
Rica</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"> as Committee
Vice-Chairs. Consultations are ongoing within the African Group for the African
Vice-Chair. The convention is expected to be finalized in 2006.For further
information, visit <U><SPAN
style="COLOR: blue">http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/</SPAN></U> or contact
Edoardo Bellando, UN Department of Public Information, <U><SPAN
style="COLOR: blue">bellando@un.org</SPAN></U>.</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV>
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