Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) ensures that people with disabilities enjoy all human rights and participate in public, economic and social life. It does not contain any special rights, but defines universal human rights from the perspective of people with disabilities. The aim is to promote equal opportunities for people with disabilities and to prevent discrimination against them in society.

The Convention includes the rights to:

• lead an independent and autonomous life
• found one's own family
• employment
• an adequate living standard and social protection
• access education
• participate in public and cultural life, and
• protection against multiple discrimination, violence, exploitation or abuse

States parties are obliged to create 'focal points' that supervise the implementation of their commitments under the Convention. They must also develop a national programme to implement and promote the Convention.

The Convention was ratified by Switzerland on 15 April 2014, where it came into force on 15 May that year.

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

The Convention obliges states parties to report to its monitoring body, the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The first report is due two years after ratification, after which reports are submitted at least every four years. Switzerland's first report was due in 2016 and will be presented in 2022.

The Federal Bureau for the Equality of People with Disabilities is responsible for Switzerland's country reports on the implementation of its obligations under the CRPD.

Information on the CRPD and Switzerland's country report (de, fr, it)

Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

The Convention is supplemented by an optional protocol that provides for an individual complaints procedure and an investigation procedure.

The optional protocol was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 13 December 2006 and came into force on 3 May 2008. Switzerland has not yet ratified the optional protocol.

Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities