Organisation

A United Nations It was officially born on October 24, 1945, when its Charter was ratified by most of the 51 founding member states. The day is currently celebrated around the world as United Nations Day.

The aim of the UN is to unite all nations of the world for peace and development, based on the principles of justice, human dignity and the well-being of all.

Its headquarters are in New York, United States, but the land and buildings are international territory. It is composed of 191 Member States, which meet in the General Assembly, with a single vote. The decisions taken by the General Assembly are not binding, but when they take the form of Resolutions they carry an important weight in the opinion of the international community. Six official languages are used: Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, Russian, French and English - the latter two are considered working languages. The United Nations Headquarters in Europe is in Geneva, Switzerland.

Activities

On 13 December 2006, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Optional Protocol (A/RES/61/106). On 30 March 2007, the Convention and the Protocol were opened for signature by the Member States. The Convention entered into force in the international legal order on 3 May 2008.

Within the UN system, work on the rights of persons with disabilities is carried out by the Secretariat of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, of the Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD) of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA).

The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was established by the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Article 34) to monitor the implementation by the respective States Parties of the provisions of the Convention.

The Committee shall be composed of 18 independent experts elected by the States Parties to the Convention. Like the other UN bodies responsible for monitoring the implementation of human rights treaties, the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities examines reports by States Parties on measures taken to give effect to the provisions of the Convention, organises discussions on matters covered by the Convention and adopts general comments on matters related to the Convention.

The Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is held annually in New York, USA, bringing together the signatories of the Convention to discuss and debate issues related to the inclusion of persons with disabilities.

The UN is represented by the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, whose mandate is currently held by Mr Gerard Quinn (Ireland).

The mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities provides for:

• Regular dialogue with States Parties and other stakeholders with a view to sharing and promoting good practices in realising the rights of persons with disabilities;
• Receiving information and communications on violations of the rights of persons with disabilities;
• consultation and involvement of persons with disabilities and representative organisations in work processes;
• make recommendations for the promotion and protection of the rights of persons with disabilities;
• Provide technical support to the efforts made by States for the effective realization of the rights of persons with disabilities;
• raising awareness of the rights of persons with disabilities;
• cooperate with other human rights mechanisms of the United Nations and other entities of the United Nations system;
• Mainstreaming the gender perspective;
• Produce annual reports, which should be submitted to the UN Human Rights Council and General Assembly.

Portugal and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

For Portugal:

• Signature: 30 March 2007;
• Approval: Resolution of the Assembly of the Republic No 56/2009 of 30 July 2009, published in the Diário da República, Series I, No 146;
• Ratification: Decree of the President of the Republic No 71/2009 of 30 July 2009, published in the Diário da República, Series I, No 46;
• Deposit of the instrument of ratification with the Secretary-General of the United Nations: 23 September 2009;
• Notice of deposit of the instrument of ratification: Notice of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs No 114/2009 of 29 October 2009, published in the Official Gazette, Series I, No 210.