The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities entered into force on 3 May 2008, marking a new era in efforts to protect those rights.
The Convention, the first new human rights treaty of the twenty-first century, has been signed by 127 countries since 30 March 2007, and ratified by 24.
United Nations Secretary-General has called the Convention a powerful tool to eradicate the obstacles faced by persons with disabilities. “It is a historic moment in our quest for realization of the universal human rights for all persons, creating a fully inclusive society for all.”The Convention itself does not create any new rights. Rather, it aims to ensure that the benefits of existing rights are fully extended and guaranteed to the world’s estimated 650 million people with disabilities.
“It had been argued that persons with disabilities were covered by existing human rights treaties, but the reality was very different,” says Akiko Ito, Chief of the Secretariat of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the UN Focal Point on Disability. “Persons with disabilities have routinely suffered discrimination in the job market, in schools and in receiving public services. This Convention will make sure that these people will no longer be ignored.”
By ratifying the Convention, States commit themselves to enact laws and other measures to improve disability rights, and also abolish legislation, customs and practices that discriminate against persons with disabilities.
The Convention, among the fastest ever negotiated at the United Nations and one of the fastest to enter into force, has the strong support of United Nations Member States, as well as advocacy by the global disability movement, which was instrumental in drafting the treaty.
Australia signed the convention on 30th March 2007.
For further information about the Convention and the work of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Division for Social Policy and Development, go to: www.un.org/disabilities A world map indicating the countries that have signed and/or ratified the Convention can be found at: www.un.org/disabilities/documents/maps/enablemap2May08.jpg
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