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Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Mr. Kofi Annan, Secretary-General joined the enjoyment of the agreement on a new treaty on the rights of persons with disabilities , reached by the General Assembly on 25 August 2006 at the 8th Ad Hoc Committee on a Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities, as a historic achievement for the 650 million people with disabilities around the world. He notes that people with disabilities have hitherto lacked adequate protection, and hopes that this long overdue Convention will mark the beginning of a new era in which they will have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. He urges all member states to ratify the Convention and ensure its rapid implementation after adoption in the 61st General Assembly, 2006.

Background

In resolution 56/168 of 19 December 2001, the General Assembly decided to establish the Ad Hoc Committee on a Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities, based on the holistic approach in the work done in the fields of social development, human rights and non-discrimination and taking into account the recommendations of the Commission on Human Rights and the Commission for Social Development after a proposal of a drafting convention in 2001 by Mexico's President Vicente Fox. The first Ad Hoc met in July, 2002. The uniqueness of the Ad Hoc is the openness for accredited disability nongovernmental organizations to attend the meeting, making statements and presentations, and providing materials to delegations. This shows a high relation between the work of the government and disability-experts. The negotiations on the drafting on the convention have come to an end at the 8th Ad Hoc meeting held in August, 2006.

Substantial of the Convention

This Convention makes persons with disabilities "rights holders" and "subjects of law" with full participation in formulating and carrying out plans and policies affecting them.

The newly treaty will consist of the main body context and the optional protocol. The main body treaty will comprises of the Preamble and 50 Articles covering all aspects of the human rights issues of persons with disabilities and the structure of the Convention. Issues in the Optional Protocol will cover monitoring and reports of the Convention comprising of 18 articles. (For details of the Draft Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Draft Optional Protocol, please click to http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/.)

After the adoption of the Convention by the 61st General Assembly, the Convention will be opened for signature and ratification. Governments that ratify it will be legally bound to treat persons with disabilities not just as a minority, but as subjects of the law with clearly defined rights.

APCD & Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

In this special occasion, APCD would like to join this gracious moment to express our pride to this human rights treaty for persons with disabilities and will hand-in-hand promote the ratification of the Convention and the implementations of the Convention for the utmost of persons with disabilities!