A letter signed by 37 of the country's leading organisations was delivered to the Prime Minister on Monday 31st March. The letter was written by the Lesotho National Federation of Organisations of the Disabled (LNFOD), and calls on the government to sign and ratify the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at the earliest opportunity. Sent on the first anniversary of the opening of the Convention, the letter has been signed by Directors of a diverse range of stakeholders, including disabled peoples organisations, service providers, international development agencies, religious groups and human rights organisations.

A year ago, the Convention was opened for signature at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Since then, 126 countries have signed the Convention and 17 have ratified it. The Convention spells out how countries around the world can protect the human rights of people with disabilities in every respect, delivering equal opportunities and integrating them into mainstream society. Disabled people's organisations in Lesotho believe it is essential that the government joins the Convention in order to improve the dire situation faced by the majority of the disabled in the Kingdom.

The Director of LNFOD, Majolefa Mabula, states “this Convention marks a critical opportunity for our government to re-affirm its commitment to people with disabilities. We are calling on the government to follow the precedent set by 33 other African countries, and sign the Convention as soon as possible.”