The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (“UNCPRD”) was formally adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2006. China ratified the UNCPRD on 1 August 2008 and was the 33rd contracting state. As required, the UNCPRD will enter into force thirty days after the ratification. Therefore, the UNCPRD came into force in China on 31 August 2008 and is applicable to the HKSAR on the same day.
The purpose of the UNCRPD is to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity. Persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.
In order to promote the public awareness and arouse the people with disabilities’ concern on UNCPRD, the Joint Council established the “Committee on Promoting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities” (“the Committee”) in 2008 as to promote the UNCPRD across different sectors of the community.
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- 2012日內瓦會議
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- 2012日內瓦會議
UNCPRD contains 50 articles. Given the broad scope and complexity of the articles, the Committee published the simplified version of UNCRPD in 2008. This version simplifies and highlights the key content of UNCPRD. Since 2008, the Joint Council has distributed over ten thousand copies to rehabilitation organizations, self-help groups, government departments, schools and the community.
<Only available in Chinese>
To make UNCPRD more understandable for communities who are not adept at reading large amounts of text, the Committee published the first and second volumes of the “Easy-to-read version of UNCPRD” in February 2023 and May 2024 and distributed to over 100 primary schools through email. The two volumes selected certain articles from UNCPRD and explained them through illustrations and simple text.
《公約》簡易圖文版第一冊
《公約》簡易圖文版第二冊
<Only available in Chinese>
To encourage school teachers and rehabilitation professionals to effectively promote UNCPRD to students and persons with disabilities, the Committee produced a teaching kit for UNCPRD in 2014. The content includes instructor guides, case studies, experiential games, short videos, etc. It allows instructors to select appropriate activities based on their needs and class time.
<Only available in Chinese>
Since 2008, the Committee has visited over 100 schools (including primary, secondary and special schools), rehabilitation organizations and self-help groups for people with disabilities to conduct a variety of training activities, with an aim to enhance the awareness on UNCPRD and the rights of people with disabilities. Those training activities are in form of lectures, drama education workshops, leadership training programs and advocacy ambassador training programs.
