Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (DisCo): History
See our main DisCo page for text of the Convention; information resources; and updates on implementation action including the National Disability Strategy
Australian ratification
- Australia now a party to Optional Protocol
- Australia ratifies! (18 July 2008) see also Australian Human Rights Commission press release
Towards ratification by Australia
- Treaties Committee recommends ratification of Optional Protocol: see also Commission submission
- Joint Standing Committee on Treaties recommends ratification (19 June 2008) see also Committee media release (MS Word)
- National Interest Analysis supporting ratification by Australia tabled (4 June 2008)
- "Signing up" – Toward Ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Graeme Innes, Deafness Forum Conference, 24 May 2008. - Attorney-General's Department consultation on possible ratification and plain English guide
- Australian Government media release on entry into force of Convention and Commission media release
- Australian Federation of Disability Organisations Convention page
- Department of Families. Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs Convention page
- Australian Coalition for the Ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities including Report on Consultations with Australian representative organisations, disability advisory councils, and the disability legal services network on the impact of ratification of the Convention, March 2008
- Report of Commission workshop June 2007 (MS Word) with background paper and Press release by Attorney-General , 28 June 2007
History and development of the Convention
- Convention opens for signature (30 March 2007)
- 81 countries plus the European Union sign on first day; Australia among first to sign (see Ministers' press release); see also Commission press release and speech by NZ minister for Disability
- Convention adopted by General Assembly, December 2006 : see also Commission press release
- Negotiation archives
Australian Human Rights Commission workshops March 2004
- Notes from Sydney workshop
- Notes from Canberra workshop
- Opening statement for Sydney workshop by Commissioner Ozdowski
- Opening statement for Canberra workshop by Commissioner Ozdowski
- Why we need a disability Convention
Robyn Hunt, Human Rights Commissioner, New Zealand Human Rights Commission Te Kahui Tika Tangata - An Australian perspective: David Mason, Director Disability Rights policy, Australian Human Rights Commission
- The proposed UN Draft Convention
on the Human Rights of Persons with Disabilities: What's in it and what
isn't?
Andrew Byrnes, Faculty of Law, Australian National University - What might a Convention mean for people with disabilities and their societies: Phillip French, People with Disability Australia
- Monitoring issues: Rosemary Kayess, Disability Rights policy, the Commission
- A conceptual framework Rosemary Kayess, Disability Rights policy officer, Australian Human Rights Commission
Commission speeches and papers pre-ratification
- The UN Convention, the Rights of People with Disabilities and Domestic Violence, Commissioner Graeme Innes AM, Domestic Violence, Disability and Cultural Safety National Forum, Brighton-Le-Sands, NSW, 8 - 9 November 2007
- The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Michael Small, Senior Policy Officer, Physical Disability Council of Australia forum, Hobart , 24 October 2007
- Education and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Des English Memorial Lecture, Commissioner Graeme Innes AM, Australian Association of Special Education Annual Conference Coogee 28 September 2007
- Towards ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Commissioner Graeme Innes AM, Parliament House, Hobart 20 August 2007
- Commissioner Sev Ozdowski speech to PWD Australia on Convention, 27 November 2004
- Promoting the rights of people with disabilities: Towards a new United Nations Convention
International Workshop for National Human Rights Institutions from the Commonwealth and Asia-Pacific Region New Delhi, 26-29 May 2003: Dr Sev Ozdowski OAM, Human Rights Commissioner and Acting Disability Discrimination Commissioner
Other documents and links
- Working group draft text
- Compilation of proposals for elements of a convention
- Australian Government contribution towards draft text and press release (7 January 2004)
- Address by Professor Gerard Quinn on International Day 2003 (MS Word)
- Outcomes of regional workshop, Bangkok, October 2003; see also report to Australian Human Rights Commission by Commissioner Ozdowski
- Attorney-General's response to question on Australian position, 12 August 2003
- Attorney-General's press release on Australian delegation to second session
- General Assembly working group decision to proceed with drafting of convention June 2003
- General Assembly resolution A/RES/56/168 on a comprehensive and integral international convention to promote and protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities
- Asia-Pacific/Commonwealth National Human Rights Institutions workshop on proposed convention (New Delhi, May 2003)
- Notes from conference on Convention, Disability studies and Research Institute, 21 February 2003
- UNESCAP: Biwako Millennium Framework for Action
- Interregional expert group meeting on international convention on disability rights: Mexico June 11-14 2002; includes draft convention, discussion papers and online discussion options.
- Special Rapporteur report on 3rd mandate 2000-2002
- Inter-American Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination based on Disability
- US National Council on Disability International Watch committee minutes
- Declaration of world disability NGO summit, Beijing 2000
- "Let the world know" seminar on human rights and disability : Stockholm, November 2000
- Interregional seminar on international norms and standards relating to disability :Hong Kong, December 1999
- UN expert consultative group meeting on international norms and standards relating to disability , 1998
