News > Top Stories
ShareUN Convention on Disabilities Ratified by 20 Countries
(Rockville, MD – April 4, 2008) The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has now been ratified by 20 countries, a major step in the overall process leading ultimately to implementation and enforcement.
“We are very pleased that this important global treaty has reached this important milestone,” said Marcie Roth, CEO and executive director of NSCIA.
The Convention will enter into force 30 days after the 20th ratification, on May 3, 2008. The countries that have ratified the Convention are now obliged to establish national arrangements for coordinating Convention implementation. The Conference of States Parties will convene not later than six months after the 20th ratification. They will appoint a Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at the time of their first meeting. The Committee will have the job of monitoring national progress, further interpreting the Convention Articles and dealing with complaints from within countries which have signed and ratified the Optional Protocol.
Roth added, “We intend to continue our support of this effort, and call on President Bush to add the United States to this growing list, maintaining our status as a global leader in the rights of people with disabilities. Unfortunately though, since the United States will not meet the ratification deadline, we will have no voice at the Convention meeting and no vote for the members of the committee. A sad fact for a country known for its historic leadership on disability rights”
The full list of countries that have ratified the UN Convention is available here.
The National Spinal Cord Injury Association, founded in 1948, actively advocates for best practices and public policies that proactively affect people with SCI/D, their families and service providers. The mission of NSCIA is to enable people with SCI/D to achieve their highest level of independence, health, and personal fulfillment by providing resources, services, and peer support.