Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and its Optional Protocol were adopted on December 13, 2006, and aim to ensure that people with disabilities enjoy human rights on an equal basis with others.

The UNCRPD was elaborated during eight Ad Hoc Committee meetings that took place between August 2002 and August 2006, and received the highest number of signatories in history to a United Nations Convention on its opening day (82 Convention signatories, 44 Optional Protocol signatories, and 1 Convention Ratification).

It is the first comprehensive human rights treaty of the 21st century and the fastest negotiated human rights treaty in United Nations history.

For More Information:

• UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
  www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=150
• Signatures and ratifications for UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
  www.un.org/disabilities/countries.asp?id=166
• International Disability Alliance (IDA) Forum for UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
  www.internationaldisabilityalliance.org/forum.html