In brief, this annual Conference is an opportunity for all of those countries that have signed and ratified the CRPD to come together and talk about how they are implementing it.
So that you're fully prepared to hit the Conference with me tomorrow, you might be keen for a crash course in the CRPD. UNICEF has put together a great one and you can find it here. Technically it's a presentation aimed at kids of course, but if you're looking for a "CRPD 101" tutorial, it will bring you up to speed straight away.
It's worth knowing that once a country signs and ratifies a UN Convention, that country is known as a "States Party"to it, and they're legally bound to implement the contents of the Convention. So far, of the 158 States Parties that have signed the CRPD, 147 have ratified it. There is also an Optional Protocol attached to the Convention, so not everybody has to sign that (and indeed not everybody has - only 92 States have signed the Optional Protocol, and 82 have ratified it).
The CRPD is a really comprehensive document. The Articles inside it cover a whole range of issues that are relevant to the everyday lives of persons with disabilities - things like participation in decision making, international cooperation (how countries work together), access to health, full and decent employment, access to education etc.
But you don't really need to know much more about signing and ratifying UN treaties to get the idea that this coming week is going to be a very busy one. There will be lots of countries down at the United Nations Headquarters wanting to speak about the things they're doing for people with disabilities in their own country, as well as the work they're doing to help other countries implement the Convention. There will be lots of side events taking place, and plenty of opportunities for countries to learn from one another.
The Conference officially starts tomorrow, so while the UN was relatively quiet I took the time to wander through an art exhibition that Israel and Argentina have presented in the UN lobby.
Called "Speaking Colors" this exhibition displays some amazing artworks by young people with autism. The little caption cards explained that many of the young artists are prisoners in their own minds - unable to verbally communicate, and unwilling to leave their homes and face the world outside. But what these young people also possess is an exceptional capacity to express themselves through lines, colours, and shapes.
Now I'm a total sucker for anything bright and colourful and these artworks are certainly that. It must have been so liberating for these young artists to discover a way they could finally communicate with people around them (and vice versa). Can you just imagine how the world must have opened up for them?
This is just a small selection of the artworks, of course. You can view my other photos here.
Get a good night's sleep tonight, gang - because the rest of this week is going to be non-stop.
