Second day of UN event sparks further uptake of multilateral treaties

Seven Member States participated today in the second day of the 2008 United Nations treaty event, which helps to promote the universal participation of countries in more than 500 multilateral pacts, by signing or ratifying 10 separate conventions, agreements, treaties and optional protocols.

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, intended to protect the rights of more than 600 million people across the globe, was signed today by Russia and Ukraine, the later Member State also signing its Optional Protocol.

Russia also took the opportunity to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement in armed conflict, while Monaco ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.

Strongly advocated by Argentine President Christina Fernández de Kirchner, the Convention on Enforced Disappearance was today signed by Bulgaria.

Malaysia followed Tunisia’s lead from yesterday by ratifying the Convention against Corruption, while Australia followed in the footsteps of Spain and the Czech Republic’s signing the International Tropical Timber Agreement.

Burundi ratified both the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, which contains rules relating to the investigation and prosecution of acts of nuclear terrorism.

So far during this year’s treaty event 15 states have undertaken 26 treaty actions.