United Nations Enable Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol were adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 13 December 2006, and opened for signature on 30 March 2007. The Convention was negotiated during eight sessions of an Ad Hoc Committee of the General Assembly from 2002 to 2006, making it the fastest negotiated human rights treaty. The Convention aims to ensure that persons with disabilities enjoy human rights on an equal basis with others.
United Nations system in Ukraine is joining efforts with all relevant stakeholders including civil society organizations and official agencies to support Ukraine's adoption of the Convention and to promote rights of the people with disabilities.
Map of Signatures and Ratifications
Convention on Rights of People with Disabilities
As of 21 November 2007, Status of Convention and Optional Protocol Signatories and Ratification:
16 December, 2009. Kyiv, Ukraine – Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol.
Under the Convention, States Parties are obliged to guarantee and
promote the full realization of all human rights and fundamental
freedoms by all disabled persons without any discrimination based on
disability.
3 December 2009, New York – Kyiv. The theme
of this year’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities is
“making the Millennium Development Goals disability-inclusive.” As we
prepare for next September’s MDG summit, we must ensure that our
efforts are all-inclusive and improve living standards and quality of
life for everyone.
3 December 2009. Kyiv, Ukraine - The Government will
send the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to
the Verkhovna Rada [parliament] for further ratification. This was
announced by Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenkoat a
special ad-hoc Government’s sitting, dedicated to finding solutions to
the problems faced by the people with disabilities in Ukraine on 3
December. UNDP Resident Representative Olivier Adamattended the sitting and delivered a keynote address.
3 December 2009. Kyiv, Ukraine - International Labor
Organization (ILO), United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the
Public Employment Service of Ukraine jointly presented a Model of
Employment and Job Placement for People with Disabilities developed
under the Project "Social Integration of People with Disabilities by
Providing Access to Employment" on December 2. The event was timed to
precede the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which is
observed all over the world on December 3.
The aim of the model is to increase the social role of persons with
disabilities as participants of social and economic life with full
rights and to strengthen the institutional capacity of foundations of
the social safety net, parties of social partnership regarding their
contribution to the employment of people with disabilities and job
placement of such persons.
17 September 2008. Kyiv, Ukraine - International Conference"National
Strategies on the Implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilties: policy, experience, practice" will take place
on October 23-24 in Kyiv, Ukraine. The Conference will
become a platform for experience and knoweledge sharing between states,
international institutions and human rights protection groups. It is
organized by UN Office in Ukraine in cooperation with the National
Assembly of Persons with Disabilities.
11 June 2008. Kyiv, Ukraine– The Hearings of the Parliament Committee on pensioners, veterans and people with disabilities take place today to address the issue of observing the rights of people with disabilities (PWD) in Ukraine. During this session the manual forparliamentarians “Fromexclusiontoequality: ensuringrightsofpeoplewithdisabilities” was presented to over 300 MPs, government officials, human rights experts, journalists and people with disabilities. The Ukrainian version of this publication was produced by the UN office in Ukraine in cooperation with the National Assembly of People with Disabilities.
14 April 2008. Kyiv, Ukraine - The international conference “Modern challenges of protecting people rights and freedoms” has been launched today in the Parliament of Ukraine devoted to the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Ombudsman institution in Ukraine. Addressing over 100 participants from 50 countries, UN Resident Coordinator in Ukraine called to uphold human rights with rigourous accountability.
13 December 2007. Kyiv, Ukraine – On observance of the International Day of Disabled People and the month devoted to addressing problems of people with disabilities, UN Resident Coordinator in Ukraine Francis M. O’Donnell and Head of the National Assembly of People with Disabilities Valeriy Suchkevych signed a Memorundum of Understanding. The parties agreed to cooperate in protecting rights of People with Disabilities (PWD), promoting their social inclusion, raising public awareness on the challenges of PWD and joining efforts in signing and ratification of the Convention on Rights of People with Disabilities in Ukraine. For the first time published in Ukraine, the Convention in Braille language was presented this day to the journalists.
Future society is an inclusive one that provides equal opportunities for disabled, UN Resident Coordinator in Ukraine
Kyiv, 4 December 2007 - The National Assembly of Disabled People of Ukraine initiated the round table discussion "UN Convention on the RIghts of Disabled People and the Copuncil of Europe Plan on people with physical disabilities: national implementation - from policy to practice". Led by Head of the Assembly Valeriy Shushkevich and with participation of UN Resident Coordinator in Ukraine Francic O'Donnell, the participants discussed the best world and European knowledge and practices on addressing challenges of disabled people as well as issued a series of recommendations and further actions to be taken in Ukraine.
3 December, 2007. Kyiv, Ukraine - On observance of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities the President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko headed the All-Ukrainian meeting of the state authorities and public organizations working with disabled "Ukraine without Barriers". Addressing the participants, UN Resident Coordinator in Ukraine Mr. Francis O'Donnell appreciated the latest President Decree on authorizing Ukraine's signing of the UN Convention on Rights of People with Disabilities and promised to lend full support.
Ban Ki-moon calls to ensure the full participation of persons with disabilities in the lives of their communities
3 December 2007 - In the message to the International Day of Disabled People, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stated that persons with disabilities are deprived of adequate employment opportunities in nearly every society. Yet, whenever the opportunity arises, persons with disabilities prove their worth as productive members of the workforce.
UN and partners issue handbook on rights of persons with disabilities
8 October 2007 - Aiming to help lawmakers better understand the new Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol, the main United Nations human rights office and its partners today launched a handbook on the treaty's provisions.
The official statistics of the number of People With Disabilities (PWD) in Ukraine is around 2.5 million people, which amounts to 5.2% of the overall population. In Accordance with the Article 19 of the Law "On the basic principles of social protection of disabled people in Ukraine", business enterprises, institutions and organizations, are obliged to provide jobs for PWD, with one working place reserved for them if the enterprise counts between 8 and 25 people of staff. Read More...
Handbook for Parliamentarians on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol:
Around 10 per cent of the world's population, or 650 million people, live with a disability. They are the world's largest minority. 20 % of the world's poorest people have some kind of disability, and tend to be regarded in their own communities as the most disadvantaged. Read More...
What is an international convention? How will the new Convention help persons with disabilities? When will the new Convention take effect? Read More...
The United Nations documents on disability including all the reports, text of the conventions, Special Reporter reports and statements as well as monitoring on implementation of the rules and programmes of action from 1994 till 2007. Read More...
For more information please contact United Nations Office in Ukraine:
Tel: (+38044) 253 9363, Fax: (+38044) 253 2607
Human Rights Advisor Mr. Alan Skurbaty
UN Communications Officer Ms. Veronika Vashchenko
