DFI welcomes historic UN CRPD ratification
March 7 2018
The Disability Federation of Ireland, DFI, today, welcomed government’s ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UN CRPD.
Ireland is the last country in Europe to ratify the UN CRPD though we signed the Convention in March 2007.
Senator John Dolan, CEO of DFI said people with disabilities expect to see the equality promised by the CRPD now become real.
“On behalf of the 640,000 people with disabilities in Ireland, I want the Government to work with us in implementing CRPD without delay.
The Convention’s significance lies in its insistence on the equal rights and equal treatment of people with disabilities.
It gives nothing extra, there are no adds-on or special clauses for people with disabilities. There is just the plain insistence on equality,” Senator Dolan said.
DFI will now seek real resources for cross-departmental initiatives to fund necessary services. Such services are the key to allowing people with disabilities to reach their full potential.
At this point every government department and local authority should have budgeted plans. These should outline what they need to do to make all of their services accessible.
Senator Dolan said that, while there are challenges ahead, this ratification was a milestone in the history of disability rights in Ireland.
“We especially remember so many activists who campaigned long and hard for this day. It now falls to us to make sure UN CRPD fulfils its promise of true equality”, he said.
ENDS