Report to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission on the Workshop on Promoting the Ratification and Implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Australia 27-28 June 2007

This background paper was initially compiled to assist people who attended a HREOC workshop held on 27 and 28 June 2007 to understand the process of Ratification and Implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (the Convention) in Australia. It was hoped that by providing this material HREOC could assist to build the capacity of Australian disabled persons’ organisations, and disability groups to: identify strategies to achieve ratification by the Australian Government of the Convention, and signature and ratification of its associated Optional Protocol; identify ways in which the disability community can participate in the consultative processes that will lead up to the Australian Government’s formal decisions on ratification; identify strategies and resources to promote domestic implementation of the Convention once it is ratified by the Australian Government, and it comes into force.