United Nations MEETING TO ELECT EXPERTS TO MONITOR RIGHTS

 

OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

 

Efforts to promote and protect the rights of the world’s 650 million persons with disabilities will get a boost when States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities gather for the first time on 31 October and 3 November in New York.

At this first meeting since the Convention’s entry into force, States Parties will formally establish the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and elect its members.  The Conference of States Parties will also consider matters related to the Convention, and hold a panel discussion on “The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as a human rights instrument and a tool for achieving the Millennium Development Goals”.

The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities membership will initially comprise of 12 independent experts tasked to monitor the implementation of the Convention.

States Parties to the Convention are required to submit regular reports to the Committee on how the Convention is being implemented in their countries.  The Committee may make suggestions and general recommendations to the States Parties, based on their reports.  The Committee can receive and consider claims of violations of the Convention from individuals and groups subject to the jurisdiction of States that have also ratified the Optional Protocol.  The Committee can also initiate enquiries, when confronted with reliable evidence of grave and systematic violations of the Convention.

“The Committee is an invaluable tool in promoting and protecting the rights of persons with disabilities,” said Mr. Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs.  “The regular reviews by independent experts of the Convention’s implementation by States Parties guarantee that the concerns of persons with disabilities will be heard and addressed, and will stay firmly at the forefront of the implementation effort,” Mr. Sha added.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol entered into force on 3 May 2008.  The Convention, the first new human rights treaty of the twenty-first century, has been signed by 136 countries since 30 March 2007, and ratified by 41.  The Optional Protocol has gathered 79 signatures and 25 ratifications so far.

The Convention, one of the fastest treaties ever negotiated at the United Nations, and one of the fastest to enter into force, has been hailed as a landmark achievement.  While the Convention itself does not create any new rights for the estimated 650 million persons with disabilities worldwide, it ensures that their existing rights are promoted, protected and ensured.  The Convention enjoys strong support from United Nations Member States, as well as the global disability community.

For further information, please visit:  www.un.org/disabilities or contact Franck Kuwonu of the UN Department of Public Information, tel.:  212 963 8264; e‑mail:  kuwonu@un.org.

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For information media • not an official record