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United Nations Disability Rights Convention The United Nations (UN) is developing a proposal for an international convention on the rights of people with disability, called the draft "Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities".
On this page:
- Consensus Reached - 8th Ad Hoc session
- 7th Ad Hoc Committee meeting in New York
- 2005 national consultation on the Chair’s Text
- 2004 Australian consultation
- Background information on development of the convention
Consensus reached!
NEW YORK. On Friday 25 August 2006, member States of the United Nations reached agreement on the convention to protect the rights of people with disability."This marks a great day for the UN and for persons with disabilities," saud New Zealand Ambasssador Don MacKay, who chaired the negotations.
A delegation from People with Disability Australia participated in these historic discussions (see below).
More articles are availble from the United Nations News service, the Sydney Morning Herald and daily updates from Landmine Survivors Network
International Convention on the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities
Eighth Session of the Ad Hoc Committee 14-25 August
The International Convention on the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities is a landmark achievement that will document the human rights of people with disability across all UN member states.The Ad Hoc Committee is meeting in New York now to discuss and debate remaining issues, with large delegations from governments and civil society in attendance.
Role of PWD
PWD has played an ongoing important role in the development of this Convention, by
- A delegation from PWD is attending the Eighth Session; President Heidi Forrest is providing comments and information on her activities in her President's Convention Diary
- PWD has prepared a Briefing Paper on issues under discussion at the Eighth Session, based on consultations with members and interested stakeholders.
- organising national consultations and consultations with members
- preparing submissions
- hosting expert seminars, and
- supporting delegates to attend sessions of the UN Ad Hoc Committee.
You can access information about the progress of the Eighth Session of the Ad Hoc Committee through daily summaries compiled by Disabled Peoples' International - http://www.dpi.org.
PWD President Heidi Forrest (centre), CEO Alastair McEwin (right), and former CEO Phillip French at the Convention meeting in early 2006
Links
Ad Hoc Committee meeting in New York
The UN General Assembly established an “Ad Hoc Committee” to develop the draft convention. The seventh session of the Ad Hoc Committee is being held in New York on 16 January to 3 February 2006. PWD and the National Association of Community Legal Centres (NACLC) are participating in the Ad Hoc Committee meeting. Below you will find some of the statements we have made at the Ad Hoc Committee (called interventions). We have also included a link to daily updates on the deliberations of the Ad Hoc Committee. Links to media statements that have been made about this session of the Ad Hoc Committee have also been included. Further details on the development of the convention, including information on previous Ad Hoc Committee sessions are available in the background section of this page.
Daily Updates
Daily updates from the Seventh Session of the Ad Hoc Committee
Interventions
PWD and NACLAC have made some interventions at the Seventh Session of the Ad Hoc Committee. These are available below. [RTF format]
Article 2 – Definitions Article 6 – Women with disability (and other population groups) Article 11 – Situations of risk Article 12 – Equal recognition as a person before the law Article 17 – Protecting the integrity of the person Article 21 - Freedom of expression and opinion, and access to information Article 25 – Health Article 33 - Monitoring
Media Statements
For disability rights meeting, UN will print first direct-to-Braille documents, 12 January Meeting on first-ever international rights treaty for disabled persons opens at UN, 16 January Disabled youth plead for inclusion at UN meeting on disability rights treaty, 18 January Talks on proposed UN treaty to protect rights of disabled advance on key issues, 23 January Protecting disability rights requires new attitude more than new funds, UN official says, 27 January Delegates at UN meeting on disability rights see it as major step forward, 31 January
2005 national consultation on the Chair's Text
The Australian Federation of Disability Organisations (AFDO), in partnership with People with Disability Australia (PWD) and the National Association of Community Legal Centres (NACLC) held a national consultation on the United Nations Draft Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities. The national consultation was undertaken in November 2005.The consultation focused on the latest draft of the convention developed by the Chair of the UN Ad Hoc Committee, Ambassador Don McKay recently. This draft is known as the Chair’s Text. The Chair’s Text is an amalgamation of the proposals and debates that have taken place in the Ad Hoc Committee to date. The work of the Ad Hoc Committee is now at negotiation stage. Negotiations at the next two sessions of the Ad Hoc Committee will seek to finalise the draft for presentation to the UN General Assembly.
A report on the outcome of the national consultation was sent to the Australian Government at the end of the month. The report will assist the Australian Government to develop its position for the next session of the Ad Hoc Committee to be held in January 2006. It will also assit non-Government organisations to participate in the Ad Hoc Committee.
2005 National Consultation
2005 National consultation report: The final report of the AFDO, PWD and NACLC 2005 consultation
[RTF format]
[Plain text format]
Chair's Text: The Chair's Text of the draft convention on the human rights of people with disability is the document that we sought your comment on
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[Plain text format]
Covering letter from Chair: The Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee, Ambassador Don McKay, has written a letter that outlines issues for consideration of the Chair's Text
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[Plain text format]
Communique about the 2005 consultation: The Chairperson of the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations (AFDO), Maurice Corcoran has sent out an invitation to people with disability and disability organisations to participate in the consultations.
[RTF format]
[Plain text format]
2004 national consultation with people with disability: In 2004, PWD, AFDO and NACLC undertook a comprehensive consultation with people with disability and disability organisations on the proposed convention on the human rights of people with disability. The 2005 national consultation will build on these consultations. The report last year's consultation is important background information. Further details of the previous consultation and the report are available below on this page.
Newcomers and Plain Language manuals: The International Disability Caucus has published four manuals to assist people to understand the United Nations system and the draft convention on the human rights of people with disability. The manuals have been written by Bizchut (the Israel Human Rights Centre for People with Disabilities). There is a manual for beginners, words and terms for beginners, an advanced manual and an assistants guide. The manuals are available from http://www.geocities.com/idcconvention/newcomersAndPlainlanguage.html
Countdown to Convention: The e-bulletin containing the background paper and discussion starters for the Australian consultation.
Countdown to Convention E-Bulletin #1.
The e-bulletin containing the final report for the Australian consultation.
Countdown to Convention E-Bulletin #2
2004 Australian national consultation
PWD, in partnership with the Australian Federation of Disability Organisation (AFDO), the National Association of Community Legal Centres (NACLC) and state/territory cross-disability organisations, conducted consultations around Australia with people with disability and their organisations to have a say about what is in, and what should be in, the draft Convention.The report from the consultations forms part of the brief for the Australian delegation to the United Nations Ad Hoc Committee on the convention. The report can be downloaded from the links below:
National consultations report executive summary [HTML]
National consultations report [Word format 443KB]
National consultations report [plain text 202KB]
If you would like to receive the report in another format, please contact Allan Barnes by email, or by phone on (02) 9370 3100, free call 1800 422 015 or TTY (02) 9319 6622, TTY free call 1800 422 106.
PWD was funded by the Australian Government throught the Attorney-General's Department to do this, as announced in this media release by the Australian Attorney-General.
Background
In 2001, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly decided to develop a proposal for an international convention on the rights of people with disability. The draft convention is called the “Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities”.
Ad Hoc Committee
The UN General Assembly established an “Ad Hoc Committee” to develop the draft convention. When the discussions on the draft are completed, the Ad Hoc Committee will present it back to the General Assembly for adoption.All member states of the United Nations have an automatic right to participate in the Ad Hoc Committee, and about 160 countries, including Australia are doing so.
The links below will take you to reports and other documents about the Ad Hoc Committee and the development of the convention to date.
The sixth session of the Ad Hoc Committee
The Sixth Session of the Ad Hoc Committee was held from 1 to 12 August 2005 at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
Daily Updates
Daily updates from the Sixth Session of the Ad Hoc Committee, published by Disabled Persons' International Interventions
PWD and the National Association of Community Legal Centres (NACLC) made some comments and interventions at the Sixth Session of the Ad Hoc Committee. These are available below. [RTF format]
Position in relation to draft article 15(bis) Women with Disability (PWD)
Commentary, proposals and suggested text in relation to draft articles 18 to 24bis (PWD & NACLC)
Intervention in relation to Article 18 - Political Participation (PWD & NACLC)
Intervention in relation to Article 22 - Right to Work (PWD)
Intervention in relation to Article 24(bis) - International Cooperation (PWD)
Intervention in relation to Article 25 - Monitoring and Missing Elements (PWD & NACLC)
Media
The fifth session of the Ad Hoc Committee
Daily Updates
Daily summaries of the proceedings of the Ad Hoc Committee published by Rehabilitation International.
Interventions
Media
Rights: Ending poverty means empowering the disabled, Inter Press Service News Agency article, 3 February 2005.Key articles in draft disability treaty approved at UN meeting, UN news article, 6 February 2005.
The fourth session of the Ad Hoc Committee
The Fourth Session of the Ad Hoc Committee was held 23 August to 3 September 2004.Daily Updates
Daily summaries of the proceedings of the Ad Hoc Committee published by Disabled Peoples’ International (DPI), Handicap International (HI) and the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR).
Daily summaries of activity at the Ad Hoc Committee meeting by the Landmine Survivors Network.
Interventions
Intervention in relation to the preamble of the convention
Intervention in relation to monitoring of the convention
Intervention in relation to articles 1 to 15 of the convention
Intervention in relation to the structure of the convention
Intervention in relation to the title of the convention
Media
U.N. panel pushes along disabled rights treaty, 22 August 2004 (Reteurs) [plain text]
Third Session of the Ad Hoc Committee
The third session of the Ad Hoc Committee was held in New York on 24 May - 4 June 2004.
Daily Updates
4 June Daily Summary
3 June Daily Summary
2 June Daily Summary
1 June Daily Summary
28 May Daily Summary
27 May Daily Summary
26 May Daily Summary
25 May Daily Summary
24 May Daily Summary
Interventions
Below are links to the various interventions made by PWD, AFDO and NACLC. [Word format]
Article 24: Participation in Cultural Life, Recreation, Leisure and Sport
Article 23: Social Security and an Adequate Standard of Living
Article 22: Right to Work
Article 21: Health and Rehabilitation
Article 20: Personal Mobility
Article 19: Accessibility
Article 18: Participation in Political and Public Life
Article 17: Education
Article 16: Children with Disability
Article 15: Living Independently and Being Included in the Community
Article 14: Respect for Privacy, the Home and the Family
Article 13: Freedom of Expression and Access to Information
Article 12: Freedom from Violence and Abuse
Article 10: Liberty and Security of the Person
Article 9: Equal Recognition as a Person Before the Law
Article 8: Right to Life
Article 7: Equality and Non-Discrimination
Article 6: Statistics and Data Collection
Article 4: General Obligations
Article 2: General Principles (second reading)
Article 2: General Principles (first reading)
Language, Level of Proscription of Articles, and Title of Convention
Preamble to the Convention
Additional text that should be included in the Convention
Media
UN treaty on rights for people with disabilities may be ready for signing next year, 4 June 2004. Available from www0.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=10960&Cr=Disabled&Cr1=lawAd Hoc Committee begins negotiations on treaty addressing rights of world's 600 million persons with disabilities, 24 May 2004. Available from www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2004/soc4647.doc.htm
Secretary-General urges committee drafting disabilities convention to maintain momentum, understanding as it enters critical phase, 24 May 2004. Available from www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2004/sgsm9323.doc.htm
Drafting UN treaty on rights of disabled requires 'new approach' - panel chair, 24 May 2004. Available from www0.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=10850&Cr=disable&Cr1=
UN committee drafting treaty to protect persons with disabilities to open session, 19 May 2004. Available from www0.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=10789&Cr=disability&Cr1="
General Assembly committee on disability convention to meet at UN headquarters, 24 May-4 June (background release), 18 May 2004. Available from www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2004/soc4646.doc.htm
First and Second Ad Hoc Committee Sessions
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 (Ad Hoc Committee) have held two previous sessions.The first session of the Ad Hoc Committee was held on 29 July – 2 August 2002. Background information on this meeting is available at www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/rights/adhocmeet.htm
The second session of the Ad Hoc Committee was held on 16-27 June 2003. Background information on this session is available at www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/rights/adhoc2meet.htm
Working Group
At the second session of the Ad Hoc Committee it was decided to set up a Working Group to prepare a draft Convention to be used for discussion and negotiation by the Ad Hoc Committee. Background information on the Working Group is available at www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/rights/ahcwgreport.htm
Working Group Draft Convention
A draft of the Convention (called the Draft Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities) that the Ad Hoc Committee is currently discussing is available at www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/rights/ahcwgreportax1.htm
Regional Meetings
The United Nations (UN) resolution to set up the Ad Hoc Committee requested member Countries, other UN organisations, and non-government organisations to hold Regional Meetings to make recommendations on what should be included in the international convention to the Ad Hoc Committee. More information on the Regional Meetings is available at www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/rights/adhocbg.htm#Meetings
Resolution
The United Nations resolution 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 is available at www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/disA56168e1.htmEmail us at convention@pwd.org.au