Today (December 13), the General Assembly of the UN has adopted a comprehensive Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities together with an Optional Protocol. The Convention will become part of the existing body of UN Human Rights treaties.

The adoption of the Convention follows an intensive process of discussions and negotiations which began in 2001. Consistent with its deep commitment to the rights of persons with disabilities, the State of Israel took an active role throughout the drafting process. Israel contributed to the formulation of key provisions in the convention, in particular those relating to access to justice and independent living in the community.
Israel's delegation to the negotiations, headed by the Commissioner for Equal Rights of Persons with Disabilities, included legal advisors from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Justice, and the Knesset, as well as diplomats from Israel's Mission to the UN, representatives from organizations of persons with disabilities and academia.

Work on the convention was marked by fruitful ongoing cooperation between the Israeli delegation and numerous other delegations and NGOs from Israel and abroad. Once adopted, the Convention will be open for signature at United Nations Headquarters in New York as of 30 March 2007, and will enter into force after the ratification or accession of 20 States. The Commission for Equal Rights of Persons with Disabilities has already initiated a number of steps designed to promote the implementation of the Convention.