About the Convention

Background on the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled People

Why was the Convention developed?

Although existing human rights treaties apply to everyone including disabled people, there is evidence that disabled people around the world continue to be denied their human rights. This international agreement was developed to clearly state that disabled people have, and should be able to enjoy, the same rights as non-disabled people. It also explains what countries need to do to promote and protect these rights.

The Convention was negotiated over a number of years. Representatives from UN countries including the UK, as well as disabled people and their organisations, were involved in drafting the text. The Convention was formally adopted by the UN in December 2006.

On 30 March 2007 the Convention received the highest number of signatories in history to a UN Convention on its opening day.

The number of signatories and countries that have ratified the Convention continues to grow. You can find more information about how the text of the Convention was negotiated on the UN Enable website. The site also contains a list of the countries that have signed and ratified the Convention and its Optional Protocol.

What is the Optional Protocol?

The Optional Protocol allows individuals, or groups of individuals, to complain to the UN Committee that monitors the Convention if they think that that their rights have been breached. This can only be done if they have exhausted all domestic routes of complaint. The UK ratified the Optional Protocol in July 2009.

Why does the Convention use different language to describe disability?

The Convention was negotiated at the United Nations and the language used reflects the fact the countries are in different places in terms of the development of their approaches to disability issues. In the UK we would usually refer to the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled People (or the Disability Rights Convention) as we adopt a social model approach to disability.

Explanatory memoranda

The explanatory memoranda explain why the UK ratified the Convention.

Explanatory Memorandum: Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (opens at Foreign and Commonwealth Office website)
Explanatory Memorandum: re Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (opens at Foreign and Commonwealth Office website)

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