UK ratifies the UN Disability Convention
On 8 June 2009 the UK Government ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This means that the UK is now legally bound by the Convention. The Convention is the first human rights treaty of the 21st Century, re-affirming disabled people's human rights and signalling a further major step in disabled people's journey to becoming full and equal citizens.
Attention now turns to its
implementation. To discuss this and to mark ratification, the Equality and Human
Rights Commission organised an event in the Westminster Parliament in partnership
with the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, the UK Disabled People's
Council, Disability Awareness in Action, Scope, the Scottish Human Rights Commission
and the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland. Hosted by Andrew Dismore MP,
Chair Joint Committee on Human Rights, the event provided an opportunity for
leading politicians from across the political spectrum to talk about their Party's
plans and proposals for making the rights in the Convention an everyday reality.