THE CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IS A UN TREATY WHICH PROTECTS THE RIGHTS OF THE DIFFERENTLY-ABLED.

On June 12, 2020 the Government of Saint Lucia became the 181st United Nations Member State to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and accede to its Optional Protocol.

The CRPD is a treaty of the United Nations (UN), and is an international legally binding treaty which protects the human rights of persons with disabilities. The CRPD and its Optional Protocol were adopted in December 2006. The Convention was opened for signature in March 2007 and came into force in May 2008. On its opening day, 82 signatories to the Convention, 44 signatories to the Optional Protocol, and one ratification of the Convention were recorded.  This is the highest number of signatories in history to a UN Convention.

Saint Lucia became a signatory to the CRPD on Sep. 22, 2011 and on Nov. 4, 2019, via Cabinet Conclusion No. 1084 of 2019, the Cabinet of Ministers agreed to have Saint Lucia ratify the Convention and accede to its Optional Protocol. The provisions of the CRPD are consistent with Saint Lucia’s Constitution, Chapter I, “Protection of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms.”

The Government of Saint Lucia will be engaging all relevant stakeholders regarding national implementation of the Convention.