The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, adopted on December 13, 2006, promotes the full enjoyment by persons with disabilities of their human rights and fundamental freedoms and enshrines the obligations of States parties aimed at ensuring the legal and practical implementation of these rights and freedoms.
The mechanism for the submission and consideration of complaints under the Convention is provided for by its Optional Protocol, which was adopted on the same day. It is a separate treaty open to the States parties to the Convention. States that have become parties to the Optional Protocol recognize the competence of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, a group of 18 independent experts that meets twice a year, to receive complaints from individuals within their jurisdiction who claim to be victims of violations of the provisions of the Convention.