Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is a United Nations body of 18 experts that meets two times a year in Geneva to consider the reports submitted by 153 UN member states[nb 1] on their compliance with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and to examine individual petitions concerning 85 States Parties[nb 2] to the Optional Protocol.

The Committee is one of nine UN human rights treaty bodies, each responsible for overseeing the implementation of a particular treaty.

States that have ratified or acceded to the Optional Protocol have agreed to allow persons within their jurisdiction to submit complaints to the Committee requesting a determination whether provisions of the Covenant have been violated.

All states parties are required to submit regular reports to the Committee outlining the legislative, judicial, policy and other measures they have taken to implement the rights affirmed in the Convention. The first report is due within two years of ratifying the Convention; thereafter reports are due every four years.[1] The Committee will examine each report and address its concerns and recommendations to the state party in the form of “concluding observations”.

The members of the Committee, who must be "of high moral standing and recognized competence and experience in the field covered by the present Convention", are elected by the member states but on an individual basis, not as representatives of their countries. They serve four-year terms, with one-half of their number elected every second year.[2]

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights assists the work of the Committee.

History

Following the Convention coming into force on 3 May 2008, the initial membership of the Committee was elected by secret ballot at the first conference of states' parties to the Convention on 3 November 2008 in New York.[3] The first chair, elected at the first session in February 2009, was Mohammed Al-Tarawneh, who was succeeded with effect from February 2010 by Ron McCallum.[4] The current chair is Maria Soledad Cisternas Reyes, whose term lasts until the end of 2016.

The Committee initially consisted of 12 members, however once the Convention achieved 80 ratifications the Committee expanded to 18 members. Half of members were elected for two-year terms and half elected for four years.[2] Thereafter, members are elected for four-year terms, with half the members elected every two years.

Membership

The membership of the Committee is as follows (as of March 2015):[5]

Name State Term expires[nb 3]
Mohammed al-Tarawneh  Jordan 2016
Danlami Umaru Basharu  Nigeria 2018
Munthian Buntan  Thailand 2016
Maria Soledad Cisternas Reyes (Chairperson)  Chile 2016
Theresia Degener (Vice Chairperson)  Germany 2018
Hyung Shik Kim  Republic of Korea 2018
Stig Langvad  Denmark 2018
Lászlo Gábor Lovaszy  Hungary 2016
Diane Kingston  United Kingdom 2016
Martin Babu Mwesigwa (Rapporteur)  Uganda 2016
Carlos Alberto Parra Dussan  Colombia 2018
Safak Pavey  Turkey 2016
Ana Pelaez Narvaez  Spain 2016
Coomaravel Pyaneandee  Mauritius 2018
Silvia Judith Quan-Chang  Guatemala 2016
Jonas Ruskus  Lithuania 2018
Damjan Tatic  Serbia 2018
Liang You  People's Republic of China 2018

See also

Notes

  1. As of March 2015. "UN Treaty Collection: parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: List of parties". United Nations. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  2. As of March 2015. "UN Treaty Collection: Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: List of parties". United Nations. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  3. All terms expire on December 31 of the year shown. "Election 2012 (United Nations Human Rights)". United Nations. September 14, 2012. Retrieved 2013-03-16.

References

  1. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Article 35.
  2. 1 2 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Article 34.
  3. "The Convention in brief: Entry into Force". UN Enable. Retrieved 2008-06-28.
  4. "CRPD Committee". Disability Council International. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  5. "Membership of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities". UN OHCHR. Retrieved 25 March 2015.

External links

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