UN Treaty on Rights of Persons with Disabilities Set to Enter into Force

April 9, 2008

Source: United Nations Press Conference

Having received the 20 ratifications required for the landmark Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to enter into force, the new instrument was now set to take effect on 3 May, Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, said at a Headquarters press conference this morning.

Mr. Sha said the Convention was not only the first comprehensive human rights treaty of the twenty-first century, it had been negotiated very quickly and would be one of the fastest to enter into force.

Adopted by the General Assembly in December 2006, the Convention seeks to ensure that the world's 650 million people with disabilities "enjoy the universal human rights that everyone else does in their respective societies". One hundred twenty-six countries have signed the instrument and 71 have signed its Optional Protocol, which will allow individuals and groups to petition for relief...

Read the rest of the UN press conference briefing here.

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