Update about the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD)
An important recent development is that work is now occurring on indicators for the 33 Articles which make up the UNCRPD. The idea is that these can then be used to demonstrate further what the UNCRPD means in practice and to track a country’s progress with implementing it. A first set of draft indicators has been produced.
The UNCRPD is at the heart of NSUN’s Manifesto and of its campaign about human rights shortfalls in the Mental Health Act Review recommendations, so Dorothy Gould has now sent in a series of suggestions about the draft indicators on NSUN’s behalf. These include:
- Emphasising throughout the indicators that disabled people and user-led groups need to agree that action taken and resources provided by governments are satisfactory
- Putting an increased emphasis on disadvantaged groups as a whole, including people from black and minority ethnic communities, people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender and people living in poverty
- Making sure that viewpoints of disabled people and user-led organisations in Global South countries are equally well represented in the indicators
- Extending the scope of some indicators, for example those for Article 6 (about women) and for Article 19 (about living independently and community inclusion)
- In the indicators for Article 25 (on the right to health), addressing negative effects on physical health which stem from trauma caused by detention, psychiatric medication and failures to take a whole life approach
- Stating that disabled people and user-led groups need not only to receive expenses, but to be paid for their input (at going rates) if they are to have an effective influence over decisions about law, policy, practice, standard-setting, research, training and monitoring in line with the UNCRPD
- Clarifying how ‘Process’ and ‘Outcomes’ (the 2 and 3 sections of the indicators) are being defined
- Extending the number of indicators which cover quality.
For more detail, contact Dorothy at gould.dorothy@gmail.com