The Convention
Information on this page:
- Background to the Convention
- The UN Ad Hoc Committee
- The format of meetings
- Further information on the Convention process
- Access to the text of the UN Convention
Background to the Convention
History
That disabled people do not enjoy equal access to human rights has been acknowledged within the UN since at least the mid-1980s (and continues to be highlighted by media reports identified on this site).
Indeed, in 1987, the Global Meeting of Experts to Review the Implementation of the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons recommended drafting a convention to specifically address this problem.
Later the same year, the Italian government tried to take the first steps toward such a thematic convention, at the 42nd Session of the UN General Assembly, but was unable to win adequate support from the international community.
Sweden tried to rekindle discussion of disability and human rights at the 44th Session (1989) of the General Assembly. In 1994, a resolution on disability and human rights was adopted by the Commission on Human Rights, in Geneva, beginning a biannual tradition of adopting a disability resolution at the Commission.
The UN Ad Hoc Committee
On 19 December 2001, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 56/168, on a ‘Comprehensive and integral international convention to promote and protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities’ .
The Resolution confirmed the Assembly’s commitment to:
“…establish an Ad Hoc Committee, open to the participation of all Member States and observers of the United Nations, to consider proposals for a comprehensive and integral international convention to promote and protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities, based on the holistic approach in the work done in the fields of social development, human rights and non-discrimination…”
The dates of the eight sessions of the UN Ad Hoc Committee [AHC] were:
- First Session: 29 July - 9 August 2002
- Second Session: 16 - 27 June 2003
- Third Session: 23 May 2004 - 4 June 2004
- Fourth Session: 23 August - 3 September 2004
- Fifth Session: 24 January - 4 February 2005
- Sixth Session: 1 - 12 August 2005
- Seventh Session: 16 January - 3 February 2006
- Eighth Session: 14 - 25 August and 5 December 2006
Much of the work of the UN is undertaken by permanent committees; an ad-hoc committee is the method used to examine particular issues of concern.
The quotation from Resolution 56/168 [above] includes mention of the purpose for which the AHC was formed and it is this that gives the Committee the authority to act on behalf of the UN General Assembly.
You can learn about the organisation of the UN by following this link.
The format of meetings
Meetings of the AHC took place in one of the large conference rooms at UN Headquarters in New York. The conference room that was usually used had a raised platform at the front of the room, at which the Chair of the Committee and representatives of various UN agencies sit.
Governmental delegations sat in specific places at long, curved, tables facing the platform (similar to the layout in the Security Council, for those who may have seen televised meetings in the Council). There are seating areas on three sides of the conference room, usually taken by representatives from non-governmental organisations [NGOs].
All 192 member states of the UN (Official list of UN Member States on the UN web site) are entitled to send representatives to meetings of the AHC, although it is rare for all states to be represented throughout the entire session [the UK ensured that a member of the delegation was present throughout every meeting and session of the AHC].
Levels of representation also varied considerably between states, with some delegations comprising as many as 6 delegates and others having just one.
As the sessions of the AHC progressed, the number of disabled people attending the meetings increased enormously; there were also increasing numbers of disabled people on governmental delegations and, in some cases, disabled people were the sole representatives of their government.
Although all UN Member States were entitled to address the Committee, EU Member States did not speak individually during the AHC, leaving the state holding the EU Presidency to do so (the UK held the EU Presidency at the 6th Session of the AHC, in August 2005). Although Member States from other regions of the world tended not to delegate responsibility for addressing the AHC meetings to any one state - making regional groupings less obvious - states within the various UN regions often negotiated a common position for the AHC.
There are 5 regional groups of UN Member States:
- African States
- Asian States
- Eastern European States
- Latin American and Caribbean States
- Western Europe and Other States Group
- Eastern European States
Rather confusingly, not all EU Member States are in the 'Western Europe and Other States Group' - some are in the Eastern European States Group at the UN - and the UN's 'Western Europe and Other States Group' includes the USA and New Zealand (nobody said that international relations was straightforward)!
When the AHC was in formal session - and once all Member States who wished to had spoken - NGO representatives were normally invited to address the meeting. Such opportunities were used very effectively, with powerful presentations by many disabled people.
Although the AHC achieved unprecedented levels of participation by civil society, it was only Member States that officially negotiate - and agree - the outcomes of the meetings and, subsequently, the final text of the Disability Convention.
Further information on the Convention process
The UN has produced a helpful 'timeline of events' for all stages of the Disability Convention. The 'timeline of events' and the documents contained via the page are an important record of the Convention and its negotiation and you are encouraged to visit it for additional information.
Access to the text of the UN Convention
You can access various versions of the UN Convention text by following these links:
- The UN Enable web site has versions of the text, in HTML, PDF and, in some cases, Word, in various languages (you will need to scroll down to the bottom of the page) available by following this link.
- The UK's Office for Disability Issues has
produced an easy read version of the UN Convention text, which is
available as a PDF file by following
this link.
- As part of its 'Voices for Youth' programme,
UNICEF also has Microsoft Word and PDF versions of
the Convention that are child friendly. This child friendly version
will also develop as children respond to UNICEF's request to
contribute to the document via an online discussion. Links to the
child friendly versions of the text and the online discussion can
be found by following this
link.
N.B. parents are encouraged to ensure that they are content to allow their children to join any online discussion group and this site cannot accept responsibility for monitoring these links.