"I firmly believe this new instrument presents itself in a time of noticeable and important changes in the attitude of our society towards the rights of persons with disabilities”
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, 2007 - Louise Arbour
Handicap & The UN treaty
According to the UN 6000 million people worldwide, or 10% of the world population, live with a disability. Since the Decade of Disabled Persons 1983-1992 an international movement advocated for the right for persons with disabilities to actively participate in society. Their efforts resulted in the creation and adoption of the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2006. The UN Convention does not assign additional rights to this particular target group but reformulates their existing rights ( cfr. Universal Declaration of Human Rights) to fit their special needs and situation. Up until today 140 countries worldwide ratified the Convention. Belgium signed the declaration in 2007 to ratify it in July 2009, giving the Convention power of law. Article 21 summons the member states to incorporate the principles of the Convention in all different aspects of international cooperation.
Publications
External - General
- EUROPEAN COMMISSION DG DEVELOPMENT, Guidance Note on Disability and Development, 2004.
- UNITED NATIONS ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL, Mainstreaming disability in the development agenda: Report of the Secretary General, 2009.
External -
- DPI Convention Implementation Tookit
- The WHO and the Convention
- United Nations and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Optional Protocol
- On the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities
- DPI Convention Ratification Toolkit
- Priorities for People with Intellectual Disabilities in Implementing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities: The Road Ahead
- The Implications of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) for Education for All
- The United Nations International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities commented by its Protagonists
External -
- On the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities
- Organizing a Workshop on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
- See Me, Hear Me: A guide to using the UN Convention on the Rights of Person with Disabilities to promote the rights of children
- LES DROITS DES ENFANTS HANDICAPÉS - guide pratique
- Marianne Schulze, September 2009. Understanding The UN Convention On The Rights Of Persons With Disabilities; A Handbook on the Human Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Links
General
- Directory of Development Organisations
- Disability and the UN
- Directorate General Disabled Persons
- Kingdom of Belgium Development Cooperation
- Handicap International: Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities
- World Bank, June 2007: Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Its Implementation and Relevance for the World Bank
- DCDD: UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Reader
- CREATE: The Convention in Pictures
- UN Human Rights Council: The role of international cooperation in support of national efforts for the realization of the rights of persons with disabilities
- UNHCHR: The Role of international Cooperation in Support of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
- OHCHR: Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
- Inclusion International: Hear our voices; Priority Issues for People with Intellectual Disabilities and their Families in the Implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)
- DCDD Toolkit Kom in Actie voor de Rechten van Mensen met een Handicap in Ontwikkelingslanden!
- European Disability Forum
- International Disability Alliance

