RI has been involved with the UN Convention since its beginnings. In 1999, on the basis of a unanimous call from its Governing Assembly, RI revived efforts to establish a UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. RI played a major role in the 2000 Disability Sector Summit in China, which together with other international disability organizations issued the “Beijing Declaration,” calling for the development of such a UN Convention. In 2000 and 2001, RI representatives presented its Charter for the Third Millennium, calling for a UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, to nearly 100 national and international leaders.
RI played an active role in the negotiations during the Ad Hoc Committee (AHC) Meetings on the UN Convention held in New York, USA, including at the last session of the AHC in August 2006, when the text of the Convention was agreed. RI and its members participated in the discussions of several key issues for the organization such as the rights to accessibility, education, health, rehabilitation and work and employment, the need for international cooperation, the rights of children and women with disabilities and the importance of a comprehensive and effective monitoring system, among others.
In addition to sending weekly updates on the proposals and outcomes of the negotiations to RI’s global membership, RI kept the larger disability community informed of the negotiations by producing daily summaries.
Because of its consultative status with the UN, RI also facilitated the participation of numerous organizations and experts working in the disability field to attend the Ad Hoc Committee meetings. In addition, RI organized several side events on issues such as education and the rights of women with disabilities, in partnership with UN agencies as well as other NGOs.
Currently, RI is actively working towards prompt ratification and implementation of the UN Disability Rights Convention, in collaboration with the International Disability Caucus, a loose network of over 75 disability organizations worldwide.