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The New UN Disability Rights Convention:
Building Support in the United States for
Ratification and Implementation
April 9, 2007
American University Washington College of Law
4801 Massachusetts Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20016
Schedule | Webcast | Podcast | Press Release
On March 30, 2007, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities opened for signature and ratification. The United States is a country that has historically been a world leader in the recognition of disability rights. On April 9, 2007, the disability, human rights, and international development communities came together to examine the Convention, its guarantees, and its implications for US law and foreign policy. Conference attendees considered ways to encourage US government and public support and examine how we can ensure continued US leadership in the international protection of disability rights.
9:00 – 9:30 a.m. Welcome and Introduction
9:30 – 11:00 a.m. Overview of the New UN Convention on Disability Rights
11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. Implementation through Domestic Law, Policy & Practice
1:00 – 2:30 p.m. Keynote Address: Mr. Aryeh Neier, Open Society Institute
2:30 – 3:00 p.m. Video Presentation: Overcoming Abuses in Orphanages & Institutions
3:00 – 4:30 p.m. Implementation through International Advocacy and Development Policy
4:45 – 6:15 p.m. Strategy Session: Seeking U.S. Government & Public Support
6:15 p.m. Reception
Co-Sponsors: American University Washington College of Law Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, The Human Rights Brief, Mental Disability Rights International, US International Council on Disability, Syracuse University College of Law Disability and Policy Program of the Center on Human Policy, Law, and Disability Studies, Syracuse University Journal of International Law and Commerce, World Institute on Disability.
Materials Made Available at the 2007Conference:
- Letter from Eric Rosenthal, Executive Director, Mental Disability Rights International in Support of the new UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
- Perspectives on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (from the Human Rights Brief, Vol. 12, Issue 2 - Winter 2007)
- An Analysis of the Development and Adoption of the United Nations Convention Recognizing the Rights of Individuals with Disabilities: Why the United States Refuses to Sign this UN Convention by Tracy R. Justesen and Troy R. Justesen
- The UN Disability Convention: Historic Process, Strong Prospects, and Why the U.S. Should Ratify by Tara J. Melish
