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Today's Best Country in the World: Ecuador.

Today, Ecuador became the 20th country to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the first major human rights treaty of the century. The Convention was adopted by the GA back in '96, but it's taken a few years to get countries on board. But 20 was the magic number, and now that it's been reached, the Convention will become binding in states that have ratified it.

So the good news is that people with disabilities in those 20 countries now have a very tough law protecting their rights. The bad news is that the US is not one of those ratifying states; in fact, the US isn't even a signatory of the Convention. The US argues that countries should strengthen their own laws instead of adopting international standards. (Which is funny, because I think the ADA needs to be strengthened, too. Heh.) In reality, it's all about money. But don't get me started on that point.

With only 20 countries ratifying the Convention, you may be tempted to think that this isn't a very consequential development. But nothing could be further from the truth. The truth is that millions of people with disabilities -- people living on the margins of society to a degree those of us living in the West can't eben fathom -- will now be guaranteed basic human rights and dignity. And that is definitely cause for celebration.

Update: How will the 2008 presidential election affect the US' position on ratification of the Convention? I've dug up and written about where each of the three remaining candidates stand on this issue. Briefly: Obama fully supports ratification; Clinton supports the "noble goals" of the Convention, but has not (that I can find) committed one way or the other on ratification; McCain doesn't appear to even know what disability rights are. 15 April 2008