Challenges and improvements in the rights of persons with disabilities: A global perspective

Abstract

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Persons with Disabilities is the first human rights treaty of the 21st century, which established the human rights model for this part of the population. The Convention is structured around two main pillars: equality and non discrimination, and diversified rights for this group. This Convention raises a number of legal innovations among which we highlight the accessibility, rehabilitation, the right to independent living, and the right to inclusion in the community, aspects that invite to explore its nature. In addition to these principles, the work of the treaty body, the Committee of Experts of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, will be analyzed. The Committee has competence to examine individual complaints, and has adopted General Comments on critical issues such as equal recognition before the law and accessibility. Finally, this paper studies the link between the human rights of people with disabilities and the Sustainable Development Goals for the Post-2015 Development Agenda, which has predominated the contemporary debate within the United Nations.