United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Disability is a rights issue and not a matter of discretion! This is clearly laid down in the UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol was adopted on 13 December 2006 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The purpose of the Convention is to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities. Both the Convention and its Protocol entered into force on 3 May 2008, after the Convention received its 20th ratification, and the Optional Protocol 10 ratifications.
The Convention represents a significant change: it establishes disability not only as a social welfare matter but as human rights issue and matter of law.
The core elements of the EU disability strategy - which combines anti-discrimination, equal opportunities and active inclusion measures - are reflected in the Convention. The rights recognised by the Convention cover almost all policy fields from justice to transport, from employment to information technology, from social to health policy. Accordingly implementation of the Convention needs to be part of a strategic approach to disability.
Given the strong convergence of objectives between the overall EU Disability Strategy and the UNCRPD, the European Commission considers that issues relating to implementation of the UN Convention at EU level should be tackled in the framework of the European Disability Strategy 2010-2020.
All the EU countries have signed the Convention and 22 EU countries have signed the Protocol. As of 1 February 2011, 17 EU countries have ratified the Convention, and 14 have ratified the Optional Protocol.
The EU signed the UNCRPD on 30 March 2007. The Council adopted the Decision for conclusion of the UNCRPD on 26 November 2009. The EU is bound by the Convention to the extent of its competences and these are set out in an Annex to the Decision.
On 23 December 2010 the EU completed the procedure of conclusion of the Convention by depositing its instruments of formal confirmation with the UN Secretary General in New York. The Convention entered into force with respect to the EU on the 22 January 2011
On 1 February 2011, 147 States had signed the Convention, 98 States also ratified it. 90 had signed and 60 ratified the Optional Protocol. Further progress on signings and ratifications can be tracked via the UN website.