UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)

CRPD is an international human rights treaty adopted in 2006. The UK agreed to follow it in 2009.

By following CRPD, the UK agrees to protect and promote the human rights of disabled people, including:

• eliminating disability discrimination
• enabling disabled people to live independently in the community
• ensuring an inclusive education system
• ensuring disabled people are protected from all forms of exploitation, violence and abuse

The UN last examined how well the UK is implementing the treaty and published its recommendations in August 2017. These included:

• recognising and enforcing the right of disabled people to live independently, be included in the community, and choose where they live and who they live with
• ensuring that social security policies protect the income of disabled people and their families, allowing for the extra costs that come with disability
• removing barriers to ensure that disabled people can access decent work and equal pay
• taking action to combat any negative or discriminatory stereotypes or prejudice against disabled people in public and the media
• ensuring disabled people have equal rights to justice by providing appropriate legal advice and support
• involving disabled people and disabled people’s organisations in planning and implementing all laws and policies affecting disabled people
• incorporating CRPD into domestic law to ensure that people can take legal action if their rights have been breached

The most recent work we have produced as part of our CRPD monitoring includes:

• a letter to the UN CRPD submitting additional information in advance of its inquiry review into the UK, sent on behalf of UKIM (March 2024)

• a letter to the Minister for Women and Equalities, highlight our assessments and noting our disappointment that the UK Government has postponed participation in the process until 2024, sent on behalf of UKIM (August 2023)

• a report for the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities about progress on disability rights across the UK (August 2023)

• an updated report for the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, noting UK progress on UN recommendations (October 2018)
• a briefing to give an overview of concerns about the lack of government progress in protecting the rights of disabled people (June 2018)
• a report titled How well is the UK performing on disability rights (January 2018)
• an updated submission to the CRPD Committee giving 130 recommendations for change (August 2017)
• a guide to help disabled people know their rights under the convention (July 2017)
• an initial submission to the CRPD Committee from the UK Independent Mechanism, consisting of the four equality and human rights commissions in the United Kingdom - Easy read and BSL versions are also available (Feb 2017)
• a submission to inform the CRPD on disability rights in Wales (Feb 2017)
• a submission to inform the CRPD on disability rights in England (Feb 2017)