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Anne McGuire, supported by the Office for Disability Issues (ODI), represented the UK at a meeting of Ministers responsible for disability issues from across the European Union (EU) at the end of May.
The meeting was part of a conference held to discuss progress towards ratification of the United Nations Convention on Disability Rights and enabled Ministers and senior officials from across the EU to discuss common challenges.
The Convention is a significant step forward in ensuring disabled people across the world have the same human rights as everyone else and sets international human rights standards for disabled people.
It aims to enable the 650 million disabled people in the world to access existing human rights. For example, the Convention covers areas for which the Department for Work and Pensions is responsible, such as protection against disability discrimination and the right to work.
Three EU States have already ratified the Convention. Several others, including the UK, are aiming to ratify it by the end of the year. Anne McGuire recently reported to Parliament on the UK’s progress. You can read the reports and find out more on our UN Convention pages
Page last reviewed: 11 August 2008