Mongolia: Government ratifies UN disability convention
The Government of Mongolia ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, along with its optional protocol, on 19 December 2008.
The World Health Organization has released a statistical number showing that 650 million people, 10 per cent of the world population, are persons with disabilities.
On 13 December 2006, the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Convention was opened for signature from 30March 2007.
This convention is highly valued world-wide as it protects the rights of persons with disabilities in a comprehensive way and, also, composes one of the eight UN fundamental human rights documents.
The main regulation of the convention is directed toward protecting persons with disabilities from any form of discrimination and ensuring the possibility to fully participate in social life by creating a disability friendly environment.
By 17 December 2008, 138 countries had signed the convention and 45 countries have ratified it. Also, 81 countries have signed and other 27 countries have ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention.
The National Human Rights Commission of Mongolia has been organizing numerous trainings and workshops on its own in support to the ratification of the Convention and also jointly with NGOs for the rights of persons with disabilities and Italian Association Amici di Raoul Follereau (AIFO).
In result of our intensive cooperation, the Government of Mongolia supported the ratification of the convention, along with its optional protocol, by the session of 19 December 2008.
Date: 21 December 2008
