----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard Rieser" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, November 02, 2008 2:15 PM
Subject: Demonstration against reneging on UN Convention 5th November
Demonstration
Dear Mike,
Please circulate this call for disabled activists to join a demonstration
11.30 opposite Downing Street 5th November
The UK Government is still thinking of reserving in 5 areas of the
Convention. More than any other Government in the World.
Opting Ministry of Defence out of Convention
Article 12.4 on assisted decision making
Article 24 on Inclusive Education
Article 18 on Immigration and freedom of movement
Article 30 Equality to sign language and Deaf culture
I attach copy of convention and press release.
Please seek to mobilise people urgently.
Richard Rieser
Director Disability Equality in Education
Unit 1M
Leroy House,
436 Essex Road,
London N1 3QP
United Kingdom
Tel +44(0)207 359 2855
Fax +44(0)207 354 3372
**************************************************
UK Government intends to Renege on Human Rights
PRESS RELEASE UNCCC**
41* Governments have ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of
People with Disabilities. They meet next week*** in New York to consider
implementation. The UK will not be present, despite having played a leading
role in creating this first Human Rights' Treaty of the 21st Century. The
Convention for the first time extends human rights to all disabled
people-over 650 million worldwide.
The UK Government intends to reserve on the Convention on crucial areas.
These include Education, Armed Forces, Mental Capacity and
Asylum/Immigration. (The Convention allows for progressive realisation of
social and economic rights, so reserving is unnecessary.)
We believe that Human Rights are universal. Governments can not pick and
choose. Why does the UK wish to continue established discriminatory
practice?
The UNCCC represents 27 Disability organisations.
PRESS CONFERENCE 5th November 10.30 Room C, 1 Parliament Street, SW1
Demonstration and petition to 10, Downing Street. 11.30 -12.30
Notes to Editors.
Press Contact Richard Rieser, Chair 07715420727 [log in to unmask]
Rachel Hurst, Secretary 0166683761 [log in to unmask]
*Countries that have ratified include India, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico,
South Africa, Jamaica, Hungary and Spain. Full list available with text of
Convention
http://www.un.org/disabilities/
** United Nations Convention Campaign Coalition is committed to the full
ratification and Implementation of the Convention consists of the following
organisations.
Action on Disability and Development, Alliance for Inclusive Education,
Asian People with Disabilities Alliance, Bath University Committee on
Equality and Diversity, Capability Scotland, Centre on Human Rights for
Disabled People, Centre for Studies of Inclusive Education , Changing
Perspectives, Disability Awareness in Action, Disability Action Northern
Ireland, Disability Equality in Education, Equal Ability, Equalities
National Council, GADCIL, Group of Solicitors with Disabilities, Mark
Harrison, University of East Anglia, IDEA, Inclusion Scotland, National
Centre for Independent Living, Leonard Cheshire Disability, National
Federation of the Blind, Norfolk Coalition of Disabled People, Preston DISC,
RADAR, Scope, Spinal Injuries Association, The United Kingdom's Disabled
People's Council, Tree House.
*** Conference of State Parties takes place at the United Nations in New
York between 31st October and 3rd November.
*****************************************************************
Preamble
The States Parties to the present Convention,
1.. Recalling the principles proclaimed in the Charter of the United
Nations which recognize the inherent dignity and worth and the equal and
inalienable rights of all members of the human family as the foundation of
freedom, justice and peace in the world,
2.. Recognizing that the United Nations, in the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights and in the International Covenants on Human Rights, has
proclaimed and agreed that everyone is entitled to all the rights and
freedoms set forth therein, without distinction of any kind,
3.. Reaffirming the universality, indivisibility, interdependence and
interrelatedness of all human rights and fundamental freedoms and the need
for persons with disabilities to be guaranteed their full enjoyment without
discrimination,
4.. Recalling the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial
Discrimination, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women, the Convention against Torture and Other
Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, the Convention on the
Rights of the Child, and the International Convention on the Protection of
the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families,
5.. Recognizing that disability is an evolving concept and that disability
results from the interaction between persons with impairments and
attitudinal and environmental barriers that hinders their full and effective
participation in society on an equal basis with others,
6.. Recognizing the importance of the principles and policy guidelines
contained in the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons and
in the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with
Disabilities in influencing the promotion, formulation and evaluation of the
policies, plans, programmes and actions at the national, regional and
international levels to further equalize opportunities for persons with
disabilities,
7.. Emphasizing the importance of mainstreaming disability issues as an
integral part of relevant strategies of sustainable development,
8.. Recognizing also that discrimination against any person on the basis
of disability is a violation of the inherent dignity and worth of the human
person,
9.. Recognizing further the diversity of persons with disabilities,
10.. Recognizing the need to promote and protect the human rights of all
persons with disabilities, including those who require more intensive
support,
11.. Concerned that, despite these various instruments and undertakings,
persons with disabilities continue to face barriers in their participation
as equal members of society and violations of their human rights in all
parts of the world,
12.. Recognizing the importance of international cooperation for improving
the living conditions of persons with disabilities in every country,
particularly in developing countries,
13.. Recognizing the valued existing and potential contributions made by
persons with disabilities to the overall well-being and diversity of their
communities, and that the promotion of the full enjoyment by persons with
disabilities of their human rights and fundamental freedoms and of full
participation by persons with disabilities will result in their enhanced
sense of belonging and in significant advances in the human, social and
economic development of society and the eradication of poverty,
14.. Recognizing the importance for persons with disabilities of their
individual autonomy and independence, including the freedom to make their
own choices,
15.. Considering that persons with disabilities should have the
opportunity to be actively involved in decision-making processes about
policies and programmes, including those directly concerning them,
16.. Concerned about the difficult conditions faced by persons with
disabilities who are subject to multiple or aggravated forms of
discrimination on the basis of race, colour, sex, language, religion,
political or other opinion, national, ethnic, indigenous or social origin,
property, birth, age or other status,
17.. Recognizing that women and girls with disabilities are often at
greater risk, both within and outside the home, of violence, injury or
abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation,
18.. Recognizing that children with disabilities should have full
enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms on an equal basis
with other children, and recalling obligations to that end undertaken by
States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child,
19.. Emphasizing the need to incorporate a gender perspective in all
efforts to promote the full enjoyment of human rights and fundamental
freedoms by persons with disabilities,
20.. Highlighting the fact that the majority of persons with disabilities
live in conditions of poverty, and in this regard recognizing the critical
need to address the negative impact of poverty on persons with disabilities,
21.. Bearing in mind that conditions of peace and security based on full
respect for the purposes and principles contained in the Charter of the
United Nations and observance of applicable human rights instruments are
indispensable for the full protection of persons with disabilities, in
particular during armed conflicts and foreign occupation,
22.. Recognizing the importance of accessibility to the physical, social,
economic and cultural environment, to health and education and to
information and communication, in enabling persons with disabilities to
fully enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms,
23.. Realizing that the individual, having duties to other individuals and
to the community to which he or she belongs, is under a responsibility to
strive for the promotion and observance of the rights recognized in the
International Bill of Human Rights,
24.. Convinced that the family is the natural and fundamental group unit
of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State, and that
persons with disabilities and their family members should receive the
necessary protection and assistance to enable families to contribute towards
the full and equal enjoyment of the rights of persons with disabilities,
25.. Convinced that a comprehensive and integral international convention
to promote and protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities
will make a significant contribution to redressing the profound social
disadvantage of persons with disabilities and promote their participation in
the civil, political, economic, social and cultural spheres with equal
opportunities, in both developing and developed countries,
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Have agreed as follows:
Article 1
Purpose
The purpose of the present Convention is to promote, protect and ensure the
full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all
persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent
dignity.
Persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental,
intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various
barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an
equal basis with others.
Article 2
Definitions
For the purposes of the present Convention:
"Communication" includes languages, display of text, Braille, tactile
communication, large print, accessible multimedia as well as written, audio,
plain-language, human-reader and augmentative and alternative modes, means
and formats of communication, including accessible information and
communication technology;
"Language" includes spoken and signed languages and other forms of non
spoken languages;
"Discrimination on the basis of disability" means any distinction, exclusion
or restriction on the basis of disability which has the purpose or effect of
impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal
basis with others, of all human rights and fundamental freedoms in the
political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field. It includes
all forms of discrimination, including denial of reasonable accommodation;
"Reasonable accommodation" means necessary and appropriate modification and
adjustments not imposing a disproportionate or undue burden, where needed in
a particular case, to ensure to persons with disabilities the enjoyment or
exercise on an equal basis with others of all human rights and fundamental
freedoms;
"Universal design" means the design of products, environments, programmes
and services to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible,
without the need for adaptation or specialized design. "Universal design"
shall not exclude assistive devices for particular groups of persons with
disabilities where this is needed.
Article 3
General principles
The principles of the present Convention shall be:
1.. Respect for inherent dignity, individual autonomy including the
freedom to make one's own choices, and independence of persons;
2.. Non-discrimination;
3.. Full and effective participation and inclusion in society;
4.. Respect for difference and acceptance of persons with disabilities as
part of human diversity and humanity;
5.. Equality of opportunity;
6.. Accessibility;
7.. Equality between men and women;
8.. Respect for the evolving capacities of children with disabilities and
respect for the right of children with disabilities to preserve their
identities.
Article 4
General obligations
1.. States Parties undertake to ensure and promote the full realization of
all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all persons with disabilities
without discrimination of any kind on the basis of disability. To this end,
States Parties undertake:
1.. To adopt all appropriate legislative, administrative and other
measures for the implementation of the rights recognized in the present
Convention;
2.. To take all appropriate measures, including legislation, to modify
or abolish existing laws, regulations, customs and practices that constitute
discrimination against persons with disabilities;
3.. To take into account the protection and promotion of the human
rights of persons with disabilities in all policies and programmes;
4.. To refrain from engaging in any act or practice that is inconsistent
with the present Convention and to ensure that public authorities and
institutions act in conformity with the present Convention;
5.. To take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination on the
basis of disability by any person, organization or private enterprise;
6.. To undertake or promote research and development of universally
designed goods, services, equipment and facilities, as defined in article 2
of the present Convention, which should require the minimum possible
adaptation and the least cost to meet the specific needs of a person with
disabilities, to promote their availability and use, and to promote
universal design in the development of standards and guidelines;
7.. To undertake or promote research and development of, and to promote
the availability and use of new technologies, including information and
communications technologies, mobility aids, devices and assistive
technologies, suitable for persons with disabilities, giving priority to
technologies at an affordable cost;
8.. To provide accessible information to persons with disabilities about
mobility aids, devices and assistive technologies, including new
technologies, as well as other forms of assistance, support services and
facilities;
9.. To promote the training of professionals and staff working with
persons with disabilities in the rights recognized in the present Convention
so as to better provide the assistance and services guaranteed by those
rights.
2.. With regard to economic, social and cultural rights, each State Party
undertakes to take measures to the maximum of its available resources and,
where needed, within the framework of international cooperation, with a view
to achieving progressively the full realization of these rights, without
prejudice to those obligations contained in the present Convention that are
immediately applicable according to international law.
3.. In the development and implementation of legislation and policies to
implement the present Convention, and in other decision-making processes
concerning issues relating to persons with disabilities, States Parties
shall closely consult with and actively involve persons with disabilities,
including children with disabilities, through their representative
organizations.
4.. Nothing in the present Convention shall affect any provisions which
are more conducive to the realization of the rights of persons with
disabilities and which may be contained in the law of a State Party or
international law in force for that State. There shall be no restriction
upon or derogation from any of the human rights and fundamental freedoms
recognized or existing in any State Party to the present Convention pursuant
to law, conventions, regulation or custom on the pretext that the present
Convention does not recognize such rights or freedoms or that it recognizes
them to a lesser extent.
5.. The provisions of the present Convention shall extend to all parts of
federal States without any limitations or exceptions.
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Article 5
Equality and non-discrimination
1.. States Parties recognize that all persons are equal before and under
the law and are entitled without any discrimination to the equal protection
and equal benefit of the law.
2.. States Parties shall prohibit all discrimination on the basis of
disability and guarantee to persons with disabilities equal and effective
legal protection against discrimination on all grounds.
3.. In order to promote equality and eliminate discrimination, States
Parties shall take all appropriate steps to ensure that reasonable
accommodation is provided.
4.. Specific measures which are necessary to accelerate or achieve de
facto equality of persons with disabilities shall not be considered
discrimination under the terms of the present Convention.
Article 6
Women with disabilities
1.. States Parties recognize that women and girls with disabilities are
subject to multiple discrimination, and in this regard shall take measures
to ensure the full and equal enjoyment by them of all human rights and
fundamental freedoms.
2.. States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to ensure the full
development, advancement and empowerment of women, for the purpose of
guaranteeing them the exercise and enjoyment of the human rights and
fundamental freedoms set out in the present Convention.
Article 7
Children with disabilities
1.. States Parties shall take all necessary measures to ensure the full
enjoyment by children with disabilities of all human rights and fundamental
freedoms on an equal basis with other children.
2.. In all actions concerning children with disabilities, the best
interests of the child shall be a primary consideration.
3.. States Parties shall ensure that children with disabilities have the
right to express their views freely on all matters affecting them, their
views being given due weight in accordance with their age and maturity, on
an equal basis with other children, and to be provided with disability and
age-appropriate assistance to realize that right.
Article 8
Awareness-raising
1.. States Parties undertake to adopt immediate, effective and appropriate
measures:
1.. To raise awareness throughout society, including at the family
level, regarding persons with disabilities, and to foster respect for the
rights and dignity of persons with disabilities;
2.. To combat stereotypes, prejudices and harmful practices relating to
persons with disabilities, including those based on sex and age, in all
areas of life;
3.. To promote awareness of the capabilities and contributions of
persons with disabilities.
2.. Measures to this end include:
1.. Initiating and maintaining effective public awareness campaigns
designed:
1.. To nurture receptiveness to the rights of persons with
disabilities;
2.. To promote positive perceptions and greater social awareness
towards persons with disabilities;
3.. To promote recognition of the skills, merits and abilities of
persons with disabilities, and of their contributions to the workplace and
the labour market;
2.. Fostering at all levels of the education system, including in all
children from an early age, an attitude of respect for the rights of persons
with disabilities;
3.. Encouraging all organs of the media to portray persons with
disabilities in a manner consistent with the purpose of the present
Convention;
4.. Promoting awareness-training programmes regarding persons with
disabilities and the rights of persons with disabilities.
Article 9
Accessibility
1.. To enable persons with disabilities to live independently and
participate fully in all aspects of life, States Parties shall take
appropriate measures to ensure to persons with disabilities access, on an
equal basis with others, to the physical environment, to transportation, to
information and communications, including information and communications
technologies and systems, and to other facilities and services open or
provided to the public, both in urban and in rural areas. These measures,
which shall include the identification and elimination of obstacles and
barriers to accessibility, shall apply to, inter alia:
1.. Buildings, roads, transportation and other indoor and outdoor
facilities, including schools, housing, medical facilities and workplaces;
2.. Information, communications and other services, including electronic
services and emergency services.
2.. States Parties shall also take appropriate measures:
1.. To develop, promulgate and monitor the implementation of minimum
standards and guidelines for the accessibility of facilities and services
open or provided to the public;
2.. To ensure that private entities that offer facilities and services
which are open or provided to the public take into account all aspects of
accessibility for persons with disabilities;
3.. To provide training for stakeholders on accessibility issues facing
persons with disabilities;
4.. To provide in buildings and other facilities open to the public
signage in Braille and in easy to read and understand forms;
5.. To provide forms of live assistance and intermediaries, including
guides, readers and professional sign language interpreters, to facilitate
accessibility to buildings and other facilities open to the public;
6.. To promote other appropriate forms of assistance and support to
persons with disabilities to ensure their access to information;
7.. To promote access for persons with disabilities to new information
and communications technologies and systems, including the Internet;
8.. To promote the design, development, production and distribution of
accessible information and communications technologies and systems at an
early stage, so that these technologies and systems become accessible at
minimum cost.
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Article 10
Right to life
States Parties reaffirm that every human being has the inherent right to
life and shall take all necessary measures to ensure its effective enjoyment
by persons with disabilities on an equal basis with others.
Article 11
Situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies
States Parties shall take, in accordance with their obligations under
international law, including international humanitarian law and
international human rights law, all necessary measures to ensure the
protection and safety of persons with disabilities in situations of risk,
including situations of armed conflict, humanitarian emergencies and the
occurrence of natural disasters.
Article 12
Equal recognition before the law
1.. States Parties reaffirm that persons with disabilities have the right
to recognition everywhere as persons before the law.
2.. States Parties shall recognize that persons with disabilities enjoy
legal capacity on an equal basis with others in all aspects of life.
3.. States Parties shall take appropriate measures to provide access by
persons with disabilities to the support they may require in exercising
their legal capacity.
4.. States Parties shall ensure that all measures that relate to the
exercise of legal capacity provide for appropriate and effective safeguards
to prevent abuse in accordance with international human rights law. Such
safeguards shall ensure that measures relating to the exercise of legal
capacity respect the rights, will and preferences of the person, are free of
conflict of interest and undue influence, are proportional and tailored to
the person's circumstances, apply for the shortest time possible and are
subject to regular review by a competent, independent and impartial
authority or judicial body. The safeguards shall be proportional to the
degree to which such measures affect the person's rights and interests.
5.. Subject to the provisions of this article, States Parties shall take
all appropriate and effective measures to ensure the equal right of persons
with disabilities to own or inherit property, to control their own financial
affairs and to have equal access to bank loans, mortgages and other forms of
financial credit, and shall ensure that persons with disabilities are not
arbitrarily deprived of their property.
Article 13
Access to justice
1.. States Parties shall ensure effective access to justice for persons
with disabilities on an equal basis with others, including through the
provision of procedural and age-appropriate accommodations, in order to
facilitate their effective role as direct and indirect participants,
including as witnesses, in all legal proceedings, including at investigative
and other preliminary stages.
2.. In order to help to ensure effective access to justice for persons
with disabilities, States Parties shall promote appropriate training for
those working in the field of administration of justice, including police
and prison staff.
Article 14
Liberty and security of person
1.. States Parties shall ensure that persons with disabilities, on an
equal basis with others:
1.. Enjoy the right to liberty and security of person;
2.. Are not deprived of their liberty unlawfully or arbitrarily, and
that any deprivation of liberty is in conformity with the law, and that the
existence of a disability shall in no case justify a deprivation of liberty.
2.. States Parties shall ensure that if persons with disabilities are
deprived of their liberty through any process, they are, on an equal basis
with others, entitled to guarantees in accordance with international human
rights law and shall be treated in compliance with the objectives and
principles of the present Convention, including by provision of reasonable
accommodation.
Article 15
Freedom from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
1.. No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading
treatment or punishment. In particular, no one shall be subjected without
his or her free consent to medical or scientific experimentation.
2.. States Parties shall take all effective legislative, administrative,
judicial or other measures to prevent persons with disabilities, on an equal
basis with others, from being subjected to torture or cruel, inhuman or
degrading treatment or punishment.
Article 16
Freedom from exploitation, violence and abuse
1.. States Parties shall take all appropriate legislative, administrative,
social, educational and other measures to protect persons with disabilities,
both within and outside the home, from all forms of exploitation, violence
and abuse, including their gender-based aspects.
2.. States Parties shall also take all appropriate measures to prevent all
forms of exploitation, violence and abuse by ensuring, inter alia,
appropriate forms of gender- and age-sensitive assistance and support for
persons with disabilities and their families and caregivers, including
through the provision of information and education on how to avoid,
recognize and report instances of exploitation, violence and abuse. States
Parties shall ensure that protection services are age-, gender- and
disability-sensitive.
3.. In order to prevent the occurrence of all forms of exploitation,
violence and abuse, States Parties shall ensure that all facilities and
programmes designed to serve persons with disabilities are effectively
monitored by independent authorities.
4.. States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to promote the
physical, cognitive and psychological recovery, rehabilitation and social
reintegration of persons with disabilities who become victims of any form of
exploitation, violence or abuse, including through the provision of
protection services. Such recovery and reintegration shall take place in an
environment that fosters the health, welfare, self-respect, dignity and
autonomy of the person and takes into account gender- and age-specific
needs.
5.. States Parties shall put in place effective legislation and policies,
including women- and child-focused legislation and policies, to ensure that
instances of exploitation, violence and abuse against persons with
disabilities are identified, investigated and, where appropriate,
prosecuted.
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Article 17
Protecting the integrity of the person
Every person with disabilities has a right to respect for his or her
physical and mental integrity on an equal basis with others.
Article 18
Liberty of movement and nationality
1.. States Parties shall recognize the rights of persons with disabilities
to liberty of movement, to freedom to choose their residence and to a
nationality, on an equal basis with others, including by ensuring that
persons with disabilities:
1.. Have the right to acquire and change a nationality and are not
deprived of their nationality arbitrarily or on the basis of disability;
2.. Are not deprived, on the basis of disability, of their ability to
obtain, possess and utilize documentation of their nationality or other
documentation of identification, or to utilize relevant processes such as
immigration proceedings, that may be needed to facilitate exercise of the
right to liberty of movement;
3.. Are free to leave any country, including their own;
4.. Are not deprived, arbitrarily or on the basis of disability, of the
right to enter their own country.
2.. Children with disabilities shall be registered immediately after birth
and shall have the right from birth to a name, the right to acquire a
nationality and, as far as possible, the right to know and be cared for by
their parents.
Article 19
Living independently and being included in the community
States Parties to the present Convention recognize the equal right of all
persons with disabilities to live in the community, with choices equal to
others, and shall take effective and appropriate measures to facilitate full
enjoyment by persons with disabilities of this right and their full
inclusion and participation in the community, including by ensuring that:
1.. Persons with disabilities have the opportunity to choose their place
of residence and where and with whom they live on an equal basis with others
and are not obliged to live in a particular living arrangement;
2.. Persons with disabilities have access to a range of in-home,
residential and other community support services, including personal
assistance necessary to support living and inclusion in the community, and
to prevent isolation or segregation from the community;
3.. Community services and facilities for the general population are
available on an equal basis to persons with disabilities and are responsive
to their needs.
Article 20
Personal mobility
States Parties shall take effective measures to ensure personal mobility
with the greatest possible independence for persons with disabilities,
including by:
1.. Facilitating the personal mobility of persons with disabilities in the
manner and at the time of their choice, and at affordable cost;
2.. Facilitating access by persons with disabilities to quality mobility
aids, devices, assistive technologies and forms of live assistance and
intermediaries, including by making them available at affordable cost;
3.. Providing training in mobility skills to persons with disabilities and
to specialist staff working with persons with disabilities;
4.. Encouraging entities that produce mobility aids, devices and assistive
technologies to take into account all aspects of mobility for persons with
disabilities.
Article 21
Freedom of expression and opinion, and access to information
States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to ensure that persons
with disabilities can exercise the right to freedom of expression and
opinion, including the freedom to seek, receive and impart information and
ideas on an equal basis with others and through all forms of communication
of their choice, as defined in article 2 of the present Convention,
including by:
1.. Providing information intended for the general public to persons with
disabilities in accessible formats and technologies appropriate to different
kinds of disabilities in a timely manner and without additional cost;
2.. Accepting and facilitating the use of sign languages, Braille,
augmentative and alternative communication, and all other accessible means,
modes and formats of communication of their choice by persons with
disabilities in official interactions;
3.. Urging private entities that provide services to the general public,
including through the Internet, to provide information and services in
accessible and usable formats for persons with disabilities;
4.. Encouraging the mass media, including providers of information through
the Internet, to make their services accessible to persons with
disabilities;
5.. Recognizing and promoting the use of sign languages.
Article 22
Respect for privacy
1.. No person with disabilities, regardless of place of residence or
living arrangements, shall be subjected to arbitrary or unlawful
interference with his or her privacy, family, home or correspondence or
other types of communication or to unlawful attacks on his or her honour and
reputation. Persons with disabilities have the right to the protection of
the law against such interference or attacks.
2.. States Parties shall protect the privacy of personal, health and
rehabilitation information of persons with disabilities on an equal basis
with others.
Article 23
Respect for home and the family
1.. States Parties shall take effective and appropriate measures to
eliminate discrimination against persons with disabilities in all matters
relating to marriage, family, parenthood and relationships, on an equal
basis with others, so as to ensure that:
1.. The right of all persons with disabilities who are of marriageable
age to marry and to found a family on the basis of free and full consent of
the intending spouses is recognized;
2.. The rights of persons with disabilities to decide freely and
responsibly on the number and spacing of their children and to have access
to age-appropriate information, reproductive and family planning education
are recognized, and the means necessary to enable them to exercise these
rights are provided;
3.. Persons with disabilities, including children, retain their
fertility on an equal basis with others.
2.. States Parties shall ensure the rights and responsibilities of persons
with disabilities, with regard to guardianship, wardship, trusteeship,
adoption of children or similar institutions, where these concepts exist in
national legislation; in all cases the best interests of the child shall be
paramount. States Parties shall render appropriate assistance to persons
with disabilities in the performance of their child-rearing
responsibilities.
3.. States Parties shall ensure that children with disabilities have equal
rights with respect to family life. With a view to realizing these rights,
and to prevent concealment, abandonment, neglect and segregation of children
with disabilities, States Parties shall undertake to provide early and
comprehensive information, services and support to children with
disabilities and their families.
4.. States Parties shall ensure that a child shall not be separated from
his or her parents against their will, except when competent authorities
subject to judicial review determine, in accordance with applicable law and
procedures, that such separation is necessary for the best interests of the
child. In no case shall a child be separated from parents on the basis of a
disability of either the child or one or both of the parents.
5.. States Parties shall, where the immediate family is unable to care for
a child with disabilities, undertake every effort to provide alternative
care within the wider family, and failing that, within the community in a
family setting.
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Article 24
Education
1.. States Parties recognize the right of persons with disabilities to
education. With a view to realizing this right without discrimination and on
the basis of equal opportunity, States Parties shall ensure an inclusive
education system at all levels and lifelong learning directed to:
1.. The full development of human potential and sense of dignity and
self-worth, and the strengthening of respect for human rights, fundamental
freedoms and human diversity;
2.. The development by persons with disabilities of their personality,
talents and creativity, as well as their mental and physical abilities, to
their fullest potential;
3.. Enabling persons with disabilities to participate effectively in a
free society.
2.. In realizing this right, States Parties shall ensure that:
1.. Persons with disabilities are not excluded from the general
education system on the basis of disability, and that children with
disabilities are not excluded from free and compulsory primary education, or
from secondary education, on the basis of disability;
2.. Persons with disabilities can access an inclusive, quality and free
primary education and secondary education on an equal basis with others in
the communities in which they live;
3.. Reasonable accommodation of the individual's requirements is
provided;
4.. Persons with disabilities receive the support required, within the
general education system, to facilitate their effective education;
5.. Effective individualized support measures are provided in
environments that maximize academic and social development, consistent with
the goal of full inclusion.
3.. States Parties shall enable persons with disabilities to learn life
and social development skills to facilitate their full and equal
participation in education and as members of the community. To this end,
States Parties shall take appropriate measures, including:
1.. Facilitating the learning of Braille, alternative script,
augmentative and alternative modes, means and formats of communication and
orientation and mobility skills, and facilitating peer support and
mentoring;
2.. Facilitating the learning of sign language and the promotion of the
linguistic identity of the deaf community;
3.. Ensuring that the education of persons, and in particular children,
who are blind, deaf or deafblind, is delivered in the most appropriate
languages and modes and means of communication for the individual, and in
environments which maximize academic and social development.
4.. In order to help ensure the realization of this right, States Parties
shall take appropriate measures to employ teachers, including teachers with
disabilities, who are qualified in sign language and/or Braille, and to
train professionals and staff who work at all levels of education. Such
training shall incorporate disability awareness and the use of appropriate
augmentative and alternative modes, means and formats of communication,
educational techniques and materials to support persons with disabilities.
5.. States Parties shall ensure that persons with disabilities are able to
access general tertiary education, vocational training, adult education and
lifelong learning without discrimination and on an equal basis with others.
To this end, States Parties shall ensure that reasonable accommodation is
provided to persons with disabilities.
Article 25
Health
States Parties recognize that persons with disabilities have the right to
the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health without
discrimination on the basis of disability. States Parties shall take all
appropriate measures to ensure access for persons with disabilities to
health services that are gender-sensitive, including health-related
rehabilitation. In particular, States Parties shall:
1.. Provide persons with disabilities with the same range, quality and
standard of free or affordable health care and programmes as provided to
other persons, including in the area of sexual and reproductive health and
population-based public health programmes;
2.. Provide those health services needed by persons with disabilities
specifically because of their disabilities, including early identification
and intervention as appropriate, and services designed to minimize and
prevent further disabilities, including among children and older persons;
3.. Provide these health services as close as possible to people's own
communities, including in rural areas;
4.. Require health professionals to provide care of the same quality to
persons with disabilities as to others, including on the basis of free and
informed consent by, inter alia, raising awareness of the human rights,
dignity, autonomy and needs of persons with disabilities through training
and the promulgation of ethical standards for public and private health
care;
5.. Prohibit discrimination against persons with disabilities in the
provision of health insurance, and life insurance where such insurance is
permitted by national law, which shall be provided in a fair and reasonable
manner;
6.. Prevent discriminatory denial of health care or health services or
food and fluids on the basis of disability.
Article 26
Habilitation and rehabilitation
1.. States Parties shall take effective and appropriate measures,
including through peer support, to enable persons with disabilities to
attain and maintain maximum independence, full physical, mental, social and
vocational ability, and full inclusion and participation in all aspects of
life. To that end, States Parties shall organize, strengthen and extend
comprehensive habilitation and rehabilitation services and programmes,
particularly in the areas of health, employment, education and social
services, in such a way that these services and programmes:
1.. Begin at the earliest possible stage, and are based on the
multidisciplinary assessment of individual needs and strengths;
2.. Support participation and inclusion in the community and all aspects
of society, are voluntary, and are available to persons with disabilities as
close as possible to their own communities, including in rural areas.
2.. States Parties shall promote the development of initial and continuing
training for professionals and staff working in habilitation and
rehabilitation services.
3.. States Parties shall promote the availability, knowledge and use of
assistive devices and technologies, designed for persons with disabilities,
as they relate to habilitation and rehabilitation.
Article 27
Work and employment
1.. States Parties recognize the right of persons with disabilities to
work, on an equal basis with others; this includes the right to the
opportunity to gain a living by work freely chosen or accepted in a labour
market and work environment that is open, inclusive and accessible to
persons with disabilities. States Parties shall safeguard and promote the
realization of the right to work, including for those who acquire a
disability during the course of employment, by taking appropriate steps,
including through legislation, to, inter alia:
1.. Prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability with regard to
all matters concerning all forms of employment, including conditions of
recruitment, hiring and employment, continuance of employment, career
advancement and safe and healthy working conditions;
2.. Protect the rights of persons with disabilities, on an equal basis
with others, to just and favourable conditions of work, including equal
opportunities and equal remuneration for work of equal value, safe and
healthy working conditions, including protection from harassment, and the
redress of grievances;
3.. Ensure that persons with disabilities are able to exercise their
labour and trade union rights on an equal basis with others;
4.. Enable persons with disabilities to have effective access to general
technical and vocational guidance programmes, placement services and
vocational and continuing training;
5.. Promote employment opportunities and career advancement for persons
with disabilities in the labour market, as well as assistance in finding,
obtaining, maintaining and returning to employment;
6.. Promote opportunities for self-employment, entrepreneurship, the
development of cooperatives and starting one's own business;
7.. Employ persons with disabilities in the public sector;
8.. Promote the employment of persons with disabilities in the private
sector through appropriate policies and measures, which may include
affirmative action programmes, incentives and other measures;
9.. Ensure that reasonable accommodation is provided to persons with
disabilities in the workplace;
10.. Promote the acquisition by persons with disabilities of work
experience in the open labour market;
11.. Promote vocational and professional rehabilitation, job retention
and return-to-work programmes for persons with disabilities.
2.. States Parties shall ensure that persons with disabilities are not
held in slavery or in servitude, and are protected, on an equal basis with
others, from forced or compulsory labour.
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Article 28
Adequate standard of living and social protection
1.. States Parties recognize the right of persons with disabilities to an
adequate standard of living for themselves and their families, including
adequate food, clothing and housing, and to the continuous improvement of
living conditions, and shall take appropriate steps to safeguard and promote
the realization of this right without discrimination on the basis of
disability.
2.. States Parties recognize the right of persons with disabilities to
social protection and to the enjoyment of that right without discrimination
on the basis of disability, and shall take appropriate steps to safeguard
and promote the realization of this right, including measures:
1.. To ensure equal access by persons with disabilities to clean water
services, and to ensure access to appropriate and affordable services,
devices and other assistance for disability-related needs;
2.. To ensure access by persons with disabilities, in particular women
and girls with disabilities and older persons with disabilities, to social
protection programmes and poverty reduction programmes;
3.. To ensure access by persons with disabilities and their families
living in situations of poverty to assistance from the State with
disability-related expenses, including adequate training, counselling,
financial assistance and respite care;
4.. To ensure access by persons with disabilities to public housing
programmes; (e)
5.. To ensure equal access by persons with disabilities to retirement
benefits and programmes.
Article 29
Participation in political and public life
States Parties shall guarantee to persons with disabilities political rights
and the opportunity to enjoy them on an equal basis with others, and shall
undertake:
1.. To ensure that persons with disabilities can effectively and fully
participate in political and public life on an equal basis with others,
directly or through freely chosen representatives, including the right and
opportunity for persons with disabilities to vote and be elected, inter
alia, by:
1.. Ensuring that voting procedures, facilities and materials are
appropriate, accessible and easy to understand and use;
2.. Protecting the right of persons with disabilities to vote by secret
ballot in elections and public referendums without intimidation, and to
stand for elections, to effectively hold office and perform all public
functions at all levels of government, facilitating the use of assistive and
new technologies where appropriate;
3.. Guaranteeing the free expression of the will of persons with
disabilities as electors and to this end, where necessary, at their request,
allowing assistance in voting by a person of their own choice;
2.. To promote actively an environment in which persons with disabilities
can effectively and fully participate in the conduct of public affairs,
without discrimination and on an equal basis with others, and encourage
their participation in public affairs, including:
1.. Participation in non-governmental organizations and associations
concerned with the public and political life of the country, and in the
activities and administration of political parties;
2.. Forming and joining organizations of persons with disabilities to
represent persons with disabilities at international, national, regional and
local levels.
Article 30
Participation in cultural life, recreation, leisure and sport
1.. States Parties recognize the right of persons with disabilities to
take part on an equal basis with others in cultural life, and shall take all
appropriate measures to ensure that persons with disabilities:
1.. Enjoy access to cultural materials in accessible formats;
2.. Enjoy access to television programmes, films, theatre and other
cultural activities, in accessible formats;
3.. Enjoy access to places for cultural performances or services, such
as theatres, museums, cinemas, libraries and tourism services, and, as far
as possible, enjoy access to monuments and sites of national cultural
importance.
2.. States Parties shall take appropriate measures to enable persons with
disabilities to have the opportunity to develop and utilize their creative,
artistic and intellectual potential, not only for their own benefit, but
also for the enrichment of society.
3.. States Parties shall take all appropriate steps, in accordance with
international law, to ensure that laws protecting intellectual property
rights do not constitute an unreasonable or discriminatory barrier to access
by persons with disabilities to cultural materials.
4.. Persons with disabilities shall be entitled, on an equal basis with
others, to recognition and support of their specific cultural and linguistic
identity, including sign languages and deaf culture.
5.. With a view to enabling persons with disabilities to participate on an
equal basis with others in recreational, leisure and sporting activities,
States Parties shall take appropriate measures:
1.. To encourage and promote the participation, to the fullest extent
possible, of persons with disabilities in mainstream sporting activities at
all levels;
2.. To ensure that persons with disabilities have an opportunity to
organize, develop and participate in disability-specific sporting and
recreational activities and, to this end, encourage the provision, on an
equal basis with others, of appropriate instruction, training and resources;
3.. To ensure that persons with disabilities have access to sporting,
recreational and tourism venues;
4.. To ensure that children with disabilities have equal access with
other children to participation in play, recreation and leisure and sporting
activities, including those activities in the school system;
Article 31
Statistics and data collection
1.. States Parties undertake to collect appropriate information, including
statistical and research data, to enable them to formulate and implement
policies to give effect to the present Convention. The process of collecting
and maintaining this information shall:
1.. Comply with legally established safeguards, including legislation on
data protection, to ensure confidentiality and respect for the privacy of
persons with disabilities;
2.. Comply with internationally accepted norms to protect human rights
and fundamental freedoms and ethical principles in the collection and use of
statistics.
2.. The information collected in accordance with this article shall be
disaggregated, as appropriate, and used to help assess the implementation of
States Parties' obligations under the present Convention and to identify and
address the barriers faced by persons with disabilities in exercising their
rights.
3.. States Parties shall assume responsibility for the dissemination of
these statistics and ensure their accessibility to persons with disabilities
and others.
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Article 32
International cooperation
1.. States Parties recognize the importance of international cooperation
and its promotion, in support of national efforts for the realization of the
purpose and objectives of the present Convention, and will undertake
appropriate and effective measures in this regard, between and among States
and, as appropriate, in partnership with relevant international and regional
organizations and civil society, in particular organizations of persons with
disabilities. Such measures could include, inter alia:
1.. Ensuring that international cooperation, including international
development programmes, is inclusive of and accessible to persons with
disabilities;
2.. Facilitating and supporting capacity-building, including through the
exchange and sharing of information, experiences, training programmes and
best practices;
3.. Facilitating cooperation in research and access to scientific and
technical knowledge;
4.. Providing, as appropriate, technical and economic assistance,
including by facilitating access to and sharing of accessible and assistive
technologies, and through the transfer of technologies.
2.. The provisions of this article are without prejudice to the
obligations of each State Party to fulfil its obligations under the present
Convention.
Article 33
National implementation and monitoring
1.. States Parties, in accordance with their system of organization, shall
designate one or more focal points within government for matters relating to
the implementation of the present Convention, and shall give due
consideration to the establishment or designation of a coordination
mechanism within government to facilitate related action in different
sectors and at different levels.
2.. States Parties shall, in accordance with their legal and
administrative systems, maintain, strengthen, designate or establish within
the State Party, a framework, including one or more independent mechanisms,
as appropriate, to promote, protect and monitor implementation of the
present Convention. When designating or establishing such a mechanism,
States Parties shall take into account the principles relating to the status
and functioning of national institutions for protection and promotion of
human rights.
3.. Civil society, in particular persons with disabilities and their
representative organizations, shall be involved and participate fully in the
monitoring process.
Article 34
Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
1.. There shall be established a Committee on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities (hereafter referred to as "the Committee"), which shall carry
out the functions hereinafter provided.
2.. The Committee shall consist, at the time of entry into force of the
present Convention, of twelve experts. After an additional sixty
ratifications or accessions to the Convention, the membership of the
Committee shall increase by six members, attaining a maximum number of
eighteen members.
3.. The members of the Committee shall serve in their personal capacity
and shall be of high moral standing and recognized competence and experience
in the field covered by the present Convention. When nominating their
candidates, States Parties are invited to give due consideration to the
provision set out in article 4, paragraph 3, of the present Convention.
4.. The members of the Committee shall be elected by States Parties,
consideration being given to equitable geographical distribution,
representation of the different forms of civilization and of the principal
legal systems, balanced gender representation and participation of experts
with disabilities.
5.. The members of the Committee shall be elected by secret ballot from a
list of persons nominated by the States Parties from among their nationals
at meetings of the Conference of States Parties. At those meetings, for
which two thirds of States Parties shall constitute a quorum, the persons
elected to the Committee shall be those who obtain the largest number of
votes and an absolute majority of the votes of the representatives of States
Parties present and voting.
6.. The initial election shall be held no later than six months after the
date of entry into force of the present Convention. At least four months
before the date of each election, the Secretary-General of the United
Nations shall address a letter to the States Parties inviting them to submit
the nominations within two months. The Secretary-General shall subsequently
prepare a list in alphabetical order of all persons thus nominated,
indicating the State Parties which have nominated them, and shall submit it
to the States Parties to the present Convention.
7.. The members of the Committee shall be elected for a term of four
years. They shall be eligible for re-election once. However, the term of six
of the members elected at the first election shall expire at the end of two
years; immediately after the first election, the names of these six members
shall be chosen by lot by the chairperson of the meeting referred to in
paragraph 5 of this article.
8.. The election of the six additional members of the Committee shall be
held on the occasion of regular elections, in accordance with the relevant
provisions of this article.
9.. If a member of the Committee dies or resigns or declares that for any
other cause she or he can no longer perform her or his duties, the State
Party which nominated the member shall appoint another expert possessing the
qualifications and meeting the requirements set out in the relevant
provisions of this article, to serve for the remainder of the term.
10.. The Committee shall establish its own rules of procedure.
11.. The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall provide the
necessary staff and facilities for the effective performance of the
functions of the Committee under the present Convention, and shall convene
its initial meeting.
12.. With the approval of the General Assembly of the United Nations, the
members of the Committee established under the present Convention shall
receive emoluments from United Nations resources on such terms and
conditions as the Assembly may decide, having regard to the importance of
the Committee's responsibilities.
13.. The members of the Committee shall be entitled to the facilities,
privileges and immunities of experts on mission for the United Nations as
laid down in the relevant sections of the Convention on the Privileges and
Immunities of the United Nations.
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Article 35
Reports by States Parties
1.. Each State Party shall submit to the Committee, through the
Secretary-General of the United Nations, a comprehensive report on measures
taken to give effect to its obligations under the present Convention and on
the progress made in that regard, within two years after the entry into
force of the present Convention for the State Party concerned.
2.. Thereafter, States Parties shall submit subsequent reports at least
every four years and further whenever the Committee so requests.
3.. The Committee shall decide any guidelines applicable to the content of
the reports.
4.. A State Party which has submitted a comprehensive initial report to
the Committee need not, in its subsequent reports, repeat information
previously provided. When preparing reports to the Committee,
5.. States Parties are invited to consider doing so in an open and
transparent process and to give due consideration to the provision set out
in article 4, paragraph 3, of the present Convention.
6.. Reports may indicate factors and difficulties affecting the degree of
fulfilment of obligations under the present Convention.
Article 36
Consideration of reports
1.. Each report shall be considered by the Committee, which shall make
such suggestions and general recommendations on the report as it may
consider appropriate and shall forward these to the State Party concerned.
The State Party may respond with any information it chooses to the
Committee. The Committee may request further information from States Parties
relevant to the implementation of the present Convention.
2.. If a State Party is significantly overdue in the submission of a
report, the Committee may notify the State Party concerned of the need to
examine the implementation of the present Convention in that State Party, on
the basis of reliable information available to the Committee, if the
relevant report is not submitted within three months following the
notification. The Committee shall invite the State Party concerned to
participate in such examination. Should the State Party respond by
submitting the relevant report, the provisions of paragraph 1 of this
article will apply.
3.. The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall make available the
reports to all States Parties.
4.. States Parties shall make their reports widely available to the public
in their own countries and facilitate access to the suggestions and general
recommendations relating to these reports.
5.. The Committee shall transmit, as it may consider appropriate, to the
specialized agencies, funds and programmes of the United Nations, and other
competent bodies, reports from States Parties in order to address a request
or indication of a need for technical advice or assistance contained
therein, along with the Committee's observations and recommendations, if
any, on these requests or indications.
Article 37
Cooperation between States Parties and the Committee
1.. Each State Party shall cooperate with the Committee and assist its
members in the fulfilment of their mandate.
2.. In its relationship with States Parties, the Committee shall give due
consideration to ways and means of enhancing national capacities for the
implementation of the present Convention, including through international
cooperation.
Article 38
Relationship of the Committee with other bodies
In order to foster the effective implementation of the present Convention
and to encourage international cooperation in the field covered by the
present Convention:
1.. The specialized agencies and other United Nations organs shall be
entitled to be represented at the consideration of the implementation of
such provisions of the present Convention as fall within the scope of their
mandate. The Committee may invite the specialized agencies and other
competent bodies as it may consider appropriate to provide expert advice on
the implementation of the Convention in areas falling within the scope of
their respective mandates. The Committee may invite specialized agencies and
other United Nations organs to submit reports on the implementation of the
Convention in areas falling within the scope of their activities;
2.. The Committee, as it discharges its mandate, shall consult, as
appropriate, other relevant bodies instituted by international human rights
treaties, with a view to ensuring the consistency of their respective
reporting guidelines, suggestions and general recommendations, and avoiding
duplication and overlap in the performance of their functions.
Article 39
Report of the Committee
The Committee shall report every two years to the General Assembly and to
the Economic and Social Council on its activities, and may make suggestions
and general recommendations based on the examination of reports and
information received from the States Parties. Such suggestions and general
recommendations shall be included in the report of the Committee together
with comments, if any, from States Parties.
Article 40
Conference of States Parties
1.. The States Parties shall meet regularly in a Conference of States
Parties in order to consider any matter with regard to the implementation of
the present Convention.
2.. No later than six months after the entry into force of the present
Convention, the Conference of States Parties shall be convened by the
Secretary-General of the United Nations. The subsequent meetings shall be
convened by the Secretary-General biennially or upon the decision of the
Conference of States Parties.
Article 41
Depositary
The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall be the depositary of the
present Convention.
Article 42
Signature
The present Convention shall be open for signature by all States and by
regional integration organizations at United Nations Headquarters in New
York as of 30 March 2007.
Article 43
Consent to be bound
The present Convention shall be subject to ratification by signatory States
and to formal confirmation by signatory regional integration organizations.
It shall be open for accession by any State or regional integration
organization which has not signed the Convention.
Article 44
Regional integration organizations
1.. "Regional integration organization" shall mean an organization
constituted by sovereign States of a given region, to which its member
States have transferred competence in respect of matters governed by the
present Convention. Such organizations shall declare, in their instruments
of formal confirmation or accession, the extent of their competence with
respect to matters governed by the present Convention. Subsequently, they
shall inform the depositary of any substantial modification in the extent of
their competence.
2.. References to "States Parties" in the present Convention shall apply
to such organizations within the limits of their competence.
3.. For the purposes of article 45, paragraph 1, and article 47,
paragraphs 2 and 3, of the present Convention, any instrument deposited by a
regional integration organization shall not be counted.
4.. Regional integration organizations, in matters within their
competence, may exercise their right to vote in the Conference of States
Parties, with a number of votes equal to the number of their member States
that are Parties to the present Convention. Such an organization shall not
exercise its right to vote if any of its member States exercises its right,
and vice versa.
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Article 45
Entry into force
1.. The present Convention shall enter into force on the thirtieth day
after the deposit of the twentieth instrument of ratification or accession.
2.. For each State or regional integration organization ratifying,
formally confirming or acceding to the present Convention after the deposit
of the twentieth such instrument, the Convention shall enter into force on
the thirtieth day after the deposit of its own such instrument.
Article 46
Reservations
1.. Reservations incompatible with the object and purpose of the present
Convention shall not be permitted.
2.. Reservations may be withdrawn at any time.
Article 47
Amendments
1.. Any State Party may propose an amendment to the present Convention and
submit it to the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The
Secretary-General shall communicate any proposed amendments to States
Parties, with a request to be notified whether they favour a conference of
States Parties for the purpose of considering and deciding upon the
proposals. In the event that, within four months from the date of such
communication, at least one third of the States Parties favour such a
conference, the Secretary-General shall convene the conference under the
auspices of the United Nations. Any amendment adopted by a majority of two
thirds of the States Parties present and voting shall be submitted by the
Secretary-General to the General Assembly of the United Nations for approval
and thereafter to all States Parties for acceptance.
2.. An amendment adopted and approved in accordance with paragraph 1 of
this article shall enter into force on the thirtieth day after the number of
instruments of acceptance deposited reaches two thirds of the number of
States Parties at the date of adoption of the amendment. Thereafter, the
amendment shall enter into force for any State Party on the thirtieth day
following the deposit of its own instrument of acceptance. An amendment
shall be binding only on those States Parties which have accepted it.
3.. If so decided by the Conference of States Parties by consensus, an
amendment adopted and approved in accordance with paragraph 1 of this
article which relates exclusively to articles 34, 38, 39 and 40 shall enter
into force for all States Parties on the thirtieth day after the number of
instruments of acceptance deposited reaches two thirds of the number of
States Parties at the date of adoption of the amendment.
Article 48
Denunciation
A State Party may denounce the present Convention by written notification to
the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The denunciation shall become
effective one year after the date of receipt of the notification by the
Secretary-General.
Article 49
Accessible format
The text of the present Convention shall be made available in accessible
formats.
Article 50
Authentic texts
The Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish texts of the
present Convention shall be equally authentic.
IN WITNESS THEREOF the undersigned plenipotentiaries, being duly authorized
thereto by their respective Governments, have signed the present Convention.
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