Draft General Comment on the right of persons with disabilities

Date: 16th May 2017
Category: UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)

There is a call for comments from the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on the draft General Comment on the right of persons with disabilities to live independently and be included in the community (article 19).

In 2014, the CRPD Committee decided to prepare a draft General Comment on article 19 of the Convention. The Committee considered that it was important to clarify the content of this article given that in its consideration of States parties' reports, the Committee had identified implementation gaps and, to a certain extent, misconceptions about the right of persons with disabilities to choose their place of residence and where and with whom to live; the right of persons with disabilities to in-home, residential and community support services; and the right to community services and facilities available on an equal basis with the general population and which are responsive to the requirements of persons with disabilities.

In order to detail its position and jurisprudence, the Committee has endorsed a Draft General Comment on the right to living independently and be included in the community during its 17th session. It puts the concepts of living independently and being included into the community into the context of international human rights law and clarifies the normative content of this right by defining central concepts, detailing States parties' obligations and outlining key elements for national implementation.

Submissions are to be sent to the following email address: cpedreros@ohchr.org, copying jaraya@ohchr.org. Due to the large number of submissions expected, the secretariat will not acknowledge receipt of individual submissions, but proceed to post them on the Committee's webpage in the order of their receipt.