Queen's Law alumnus elected to UN committee

Photo courtesy of the University of Sydney

Ron McCallum, LLM '74,professor and former dean of law at the University of Sydney

Professor Ron McCallum, LLM ‘74, of the University of Sydney has been named as one of the twelve experts on the first United Nations Committee for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.  McCallum, a distinguished professor of industrial law, has worked extensively as an advocate and author in support of disability rights.

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is an international convention raising awareness of the rights of the disabled and prohibiting discrimination on grounds of disabilities.  Developed over more than 20 years, it currently has 137 signatories.  The monitoring committee that McCallum will sit on is responsible for hearing reports from member nations, considering complaints, and making statements regarding the interpretation of the convention.

"Initially my top priority will be to ensure that we have appropriate rules of procedure and learn to work well as a group," said McCallum of the committee which represents all of the United Nations' official languages. "[It] shows me that we blind and visually impaired persons around the world have benefited from education," said McCallum, who has been blind since shortly after birth, and is not the only member of the committee with a disability.  "I greatly benefited from my graduate studies in law at Queen's University and I am truly grateful to the University and to Canada for giving me such a fine education."

The monitoring committee will be meeting twice in 2009 in Geneva, with McCallum attending both meetings.  The first meeting will be on the week of February 23, and the second on the week of October 19.

The recipient of the Order of Australia in 2006 and the Australian Centenary Medal in 2002, McCallum also won the 2007 Alumni Achievement Award, the Queen's University Alumni Association's highest honour for his leadership and significant contribution to public service.  His experience in organizations which provide services to people with disabilities includes serving as Chair of Radio for the Print Handicapped of New South Wales Co-Operative and as a Deputy-Chair of the Board of Vision Australia.

"It is my wish, especially," said McCallum, "that all children and young persons with disabilities have access to information, have an opportunity for education, and have the opportunity to obtain meaningful and satisfying employment allowing them to be good citizens, to marry, to partner and to have children."