Martin Mwesigwa Babu's recent election to the committee of experts on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) will bring Uganda innumerable benefits for the disabled, the state minister of disabilities Sulaiman Madada said today.

"[We are] currently realigning policies and legislation on the rights of persons with disabilities. For instance, the persons with disabilities amendment bill is before Cabinet," Madada says.

His comments follow the election of Uganda's nominee, Martin Mwesigwa Babu to the committee. Babu becomes a committee member from 1st January 2013 - 31st December 2016, after getting 66 votes out of the 117 states that voted.

The UNCRPD is the highest human rights treaty that promotes, protects and ensures the enjoyment of fundamental rights and freedoms of persons with disabilities wherever they are.

Madada pledged that Uganda would use this opportunity to show that it did not just sign and ratify the convention, but has also fulfilled its obligations and commitments in the treaty.

He says the appointment is an opportunity for Uganda to showcase the positive impact government's policies such as affirmative action and the corresponding results within the disability movement in Uganda. The representation will also help Uganda in its fundraising drives for disability-related interventions.