Chronology of Important Events: Key dates in the journey toward the development of an international convention on the human rights of people with disabilities
May 24-June 4, 2004
LSN Executive Director Jerry White, Network Directors, and LSN staff participated in the UN Ad Hoc Committee Meeting in New York City to elaborate on the Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities. This meeting served as a first opportunity for governments to read and offer amendments to the treaty text, as drafted by the U.N. Working Group in January.
26-27 April 2004 Under the patronage of the First Lady, Mrs. S. Mubarak, LSN Jordan held a national conference in Cairo, in partnership with the NAS organization, on the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
16-17 April 2004 LSN, in partnership with the Moroccan Ministries of Solidarity & Family Affairs and Human Rights, and the Advocacy Group on the Rights of Children with Disabilities held a national meeting to develop the Moroccan perspective on the Convention.
3 April 2004 LSN Jordan hosted a conference in Amman for governments of the Middle East to review and solicit comments on the draft treaty text.
5-16 January 2004 Working Group of the Ad Hoc Committee will meet at UN headquarters, NY to draft a negotiating text for presentation to the Ad Hoc Committee in Spring of 2004
13-15 December 2003 Meeting of Working Group NGO representatives, Madrid, Spain
3 December 2003 International Day of Disabled Persons
4-7 November 2003 UNESCAP/ CDPF regional meeting to discuss draft text from Bangkok, held in Beijing, China
20-21 October 2003 Expert dialogue and regional consultation, Amman, Jordan, convened by LSN Jordan
14-17 October 2003 UNESCAP meeting to discuss draft treaty text prepared by Prof. Andrew Byrnes, Bangkok, Thailand
16-27 June 2003 The second meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee established by General Assembly Resolution 56/168 held at the UN in New York
2-4 June 2003 Expert Group Meeting and Seminar on an International Convention to Protect and Promote the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities held in Bangkok, Thailand,
27-29 May 2003 Arab Regional Meeting on Norms and Standards Related to Development and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities held in Beirut, Lebanon,
2-6 May 2003 African regional consultative conference held in Johannesburg, South Africa
9-11 April 2003 Americas regional seminar and workshop on norms and standards related to the rights of persons with disabilities and development held in Quito, Ecuador
7-8 April 2003 Meeting of European NGOs held in Madrid, Spain
8-9 March 2003 Regional meeting on the rights of people with disabilities in the Arab World held in Manama, Bahrain
15–18 October 2002 DPI 6th World Assembly takes place in Japan, also marking the end of the Asia-Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities
29 July – 9 August 2002 The first meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee established by General Assembly Resolution 56/168 takes place at the UN in New York
12 June 2002 The US National Council on Disability (NCD) and the U.S. International Council on Disability host a forum of grassroots disability organizations to discuss their role in the development of an international convention on the rights of people with disabilities
11-14 June 2002 In cooperation with the UN, the Government of Mexico hosts an inter-regional expert meeting to discuss the treaty
8 April 2002 The US National Council on Disability (NCD) hosts a “Summit on Human Rights and Disability,” bringing together key leaders of both the human rights and disability rights communities in the United States
19 December 2001 UN General Assembly adopts Resolution 56/168, calling for the establishment of an Ad Hoc Committee to consider proposals for an international human rights treaty for people with disabilities
September 2001 World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance recommends that the UN General Assembly consider drafting an international treaty on the rights of people with disabilities
August 2000 XIX World Congress of Rehabilitation International calls for an international treaty on the rights of people with disabilities in Resolution 48/96
April 2000 UN Human Rights Commission Session, Special Rapporteur on Disability discusses a future treaty
12 March 2000 World NGO Summit on Disability calls for an international treaty on the rights of people with disabilities
February 2000 Final report to the Commission for Social Development – Special Rapporteur Report
13-17 December 1999 Interregional Seminar and Symposium on International Norms and Standards Relating to Disability in Hong Kong, cosponsored by the UN, Center for Comparative and Public Law of the University of Hong Kong and the Equal Opportunity Commission of Hong Kong, calls for an international human rights treaty for people with disabilities
September 1999 Rehabilitation International calls on UN Member States to support the drafting of a treaty on the rights of disabled people
8-12 December 1998 UN convenes an Interregional Seminar and Symposium on International Norms and Standards relating to Disability, in cooperation with Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California at Berkeley at Berkeley.
20 December 1993 UN General Assembly adopts the UN Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities
October 1987 42nd session of the General Assembly discusses the desirability of an international treaty, but no formal agreement to proceed
1987 Italy prepares a draft treaty outline that is submitted to the General Assembly
1987 Global Meeting of experts reviews the Implementation of the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons and recommends that the UN General Assembly convene a special conference to draft an international convention on the rights of disabled persons
1983-1992 UN Decade for Disabled Persons
1983 159 ILO Convention on Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons)
3 December 1982 UN General Assembly adopts the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons in Resolution 37/52
1981 UN General Assembly proclaims 1981 the International Year of Disabled Persons
1975 Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons
1971 Declaration on the Rights of Mentally Retarded Persons
1948 Adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the UN General Assembly, claiming that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and that everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set out in the Declaration, without distinction of any kind |
