Carolyn Thompson, UCC DM Representative to Wider Church Ministries reports the good news is that after five years of negotiations, delegates meeting at United Nations Headquarters in New York have agreed on a new treaty to protect the rights of persons with disabilities. This is the first human rights treaty of the 21st Century. The treaty is expected to be adopted by the UN General Assembly during its next session, which starts in September. For more information, go to www.un.org/disabilities/convention/ or to http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/5274354.stm for a BBC article. Contact your reps in congress, and tell them the US should not abstain from supporting this as is rumored.