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The Study on challenges and good practices in the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was launched by the European Commission in January 2009. The objective of the study was to analyse in detail the obligations set out by the UN Convention and in particular to gather information about the various practices in the implementation of the Convention, from a legal and practical point of view, identifying challenges and measures to facilitate the achievement of the UN Convention objectives. Its philosophy and aims focused on research that supports the objectives of the EU Disability Action Plan towards the goal of full participation and equal opportunities to all people with disabilities and the possible follow up in the new disability strategy.

The study was managed by the European Foundation Centre (EFC), representing the European Consortium of Foundations on Human Rights and Disability. EFC assembled a top-class team of academics and researchers to carry out research, combining exhaustive knowledge of international, EU and national law, with practical research experience and sound judgment on where European law needs to be reformed.  Organisations of persons with disabilities were also included in the team, comprising the civil society panel, which ensured that research was focused on issues that matter and that it was well grounded.

This venture was inherently worthwhile since it led to a product that will help shape the debate at European level about the strategic direction and dynamics of European disability law reform.

The UN Convention sets forth a number of requirements that signatory states (all the EU Member States have signed) and regional integration organisations, like the European Union, must comply with, some immediately and some at the shortest delays. Moreover, this international treaty includes the disability mainstreaming as a crosscutting issue to be included in all relevant EU and national policies.

Disability policies vary enormously from country to country and an external independent view on the reforms and measures to be taken in order to comply with the new obligations is needed. Without a clear description of the objectives to meet, the interpretation of the law would be entirely left to Member States’ determination. A collection of best practices, innovative ideas, or failures out of which we can also extract learning experiences, can be very useful to policy-makers.

Moreover, and on top of the wide variety of fields covered, the type of actors in charge of UN Convention’s implementation also varies from country to country. For this reason a map of key actors taking part of this process will benefit not only EU institutions but also all the European disability movement and Member States.

To download the final deliverables of this study, click here >

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This website is supported by the European Community Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity (2007-2013) under the contract VC/2008/1214 for € 320,270.08.

The information contained in this website does not necessarily reflect the  official position or opinion of the European Commission.