United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) is an international agreement that sets out the rights of disabled people and what governments must do to uphold them. It’s based on the idea that people are disabled not just by their bodies or minds, but by the barriers created in society — things like attitudes, environments, and systems that make participation harder than it needs to be.

Under the UNCRPD, governments are expected to:

• Promote respect for disabled people’s rights and dignity
• Remove barriers in places, services, information, and attitudes
• Ensure full participation and inclusion in all areas of life
• Work in partnership with disabled people and their organisations on decisions that affect them

New Zealand signed the UNCRPD in 2007 and ratified it in 2008 and was recognised internationally for its role in developing the Convention.

Now it’s time to put those commitments into everyday practice by creating a legal framework that upholds the right to accessibility for everyone in Aotearoa New Zealand.