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Egypt, Philippines, Honduras, Mali Ratify the CRPD
By Andrea Shettle, MSW | April 22, 2008
A total of 24 countries have now ratified the international disability rights treaty, called the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The most recent four include Mali (April 7), Honduras, and Egypt (both on April 14) and the Philippines (April 15). Of these 24 nations, 14 have also ratified the Optional Protocol.
The CRPD is the first legally binding, international instrument to protect the human rights of people with disabilities. A few of the many rights it covers includes: the right to live in the community (instead of an institution); the right to vote; the right to sign contracts and own or inherit property; the right to an education; the right to accessible public transportation; and more. The Optional Protocol gives people with disabilities in ratifying countries an additional way to pursue redress at the international level if their human rights continue to be violated under the CRPD, and if all other avenues of justice within their own country have been exhausted.
Learn more about the CRPD and the Optional Protocol and what they mean for people with disabilities around the world by reading the short RatifyNow FAQ.
The CRPD will enter into force (become legally binding for all countries that have ratified it) on May 3. Celebrations will be held on May 12, 2008 in both New York and Washington DC.
Read about the New York celebration.
Come back to the RatifyNow.org web site for more upcoming details on events in Washington, DC.
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