10 years of Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

AuthorTheresia Degener
Date01 September 2017
Published date01 September 2017
DOI10.1177/0924051917722294
Subject MatterColumn
Column
10 years of Convention on
the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities
Theresia Degener
Protestant University of Applied Sciences Rhineland-Westphalia-Lippe, Bochum, Germany
When the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities celebrated the 10th anniversary of
Wilson, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Chair Maria Soledad Cisternas
Reyes emphasised the importance of universal ratification and the fact that the CRPD was only
37 countries short of this goal. The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein,
reminded the audience of the historic step that was taken when the General Assembly adopted the
CRPD in December 2006 as the first binding human rights instrument whi ch recognised that
persons with disabilities are subjects of human rights.
The treaty of firsts
Within ten years, the CRPD had gained 166 ratifications and its Optional Protocol had been ratified
by 89 State Parties. With this speedy record, the CRPD is champion among United Nations’ core
human rights treaties. No other treaty has been ratified by such a large number in such a short time.
There are other innovations the CRPD brings to international human rights law: it is the first human
rights treaty to allow regional integration organisations, such as the EU, to become parties (Article
44 CRPD). The CRPD establishes a national monitoring mechanism which has a broader scope
than the mechanism established by the Sub-Committee on Prevention of Torture. Article 33 CRPD
demands that State Parties designate focal points and a governmental coordination mechanism for
the implementation of the treaty and additionally establish an independent national monitoring
mechanism. Both national monitoring mechanisms need to engage meaningfully with civil society,
notably disabled persons and their representative organisations. Further, the CRPD has stand-alone
articles on development and humanitarian action that bring a human rights based approach to this
field. Article 32 emphasises the importance of international cooperation for the realisation of
human rights and Article 11 demands that State Parties ensure the protection and safety of persons
with disabilities in situations of risk. The CRPD is also the first human rights treaty to legally
Corresponding author:
Theresia Degener, Protestant University of Applied Sciences Rhineland-Westphalia-Lippe, Bochum, Germany.
E-mail: degener@evh-bochum.de
Netherlands Quarterly of Human Rights
2017, Vol. 35(3) 152–157
ªThe Author(s) 2017
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DOI: 10.1177/0924051917722294
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