The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol (A/RES/61/106) was adopted on 13 December 2006 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York,...
The Committee is a body of 18 independent experts which monitors implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The members of the Committee serve in their individual capacity, not as government representatives. They are elected from a list of persons nominated by the States at the Conference of the State Parties for a four year term with a possibility of being re-elected once (cf. Article 34 of the Convention).
All States parties are obliged to submit regular reports to the Committee on how the rights are being implemented. The Committee examines State reports and adopts questions (List of Issues) to send to the State Party for further information. Upon the holding of an interactive dialogue between the Committee and the State Party delegation, the Committee adopts recommendations (Concluding Observations) with respect to the State Party for strengthened implementation of the Convention.
The Optional Protocol to the Convention gives the Committee competence to examine individual complaints with regard to violations of the Convention by States Parties to the Optional Protocol, as well as to undertake inquiries upon the receipt of reliable information of grave and systematic violations of the Convention in a State Party to the Optional Protocol.
The Committee meets in Geneva and holds two sessions per year.
IDA works to provide guidance and support to national DPOs and civil society organisations to engage in the state review process, through the submission of written information and direct participation in Geneva at the List of issues stage as well as in the lead up to the interactive dialogue. Additionally, IDA participates in the Committee's activiites by making substantive inputs and disseminating information to DPOs on opportunities to contribute to the work of the Committee by providing input for Days of General Discussion, drafting of General Comments and in the elaboration of the Committee's methods of work.