Nothing about us without civil society: The role of civil society actors in the formation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Abstract

In the past two decades civil society has increasingly played a role in global policy making. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is one such instance. This Convention represents a new model of involvement between nongovernmental organizations and multilateral policy making bodies at the global level. The unparalleled access that NGOs had to the delegates during the Convention and their participation in the drafting process created a legally binding, human rights-based Convention for Persons with Disabilities that is contextually different than it would have been absent civil society involvement. This is evident in three primary outcomes of the Convention: a human rights agenda for persons with disabilities; a definition of persons with disabilities; and the inclusion of gendered language establishing human rights for women with disabilities.

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