Press Release

The Parliament of the Hungarian Republic adopted a law on the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in June 2007 (337 members of Parliament voted for it, 0 against it, there were no abstentions). Hungary was one of the States that signed the Convention and its Protocol in March 2007. There are only two states, Jamaica and Hungary, that have ratified the Convention since its opening for signatures and ratifications.

The Convention describes the rights of persons with disabilities in its first 30 articles. In its following 20 articles the Convention defines the rules of entry into force, the national monitoring process, the establishment of a new worldwide monitoring committee. The most important aspect of the Protocol is that it introduces a mechanism of individual petitions. The significance of the new Convention is further signaled by the intensive support coming from the international civil society (organizations of persons living with disability).

The Convention and its Protocol were adopted by the UN General Assembly, in December 2006, and were opened for signatures and ratification in March 2007. The representative of the Hungarian Government, Mr. Gabor Csizmar, Senior Secretary of State, signed both of the documents on behalf of Hungary during the UN ceremony.

This newest convention of the United Nations was developed over four years, by an ad hoc committee. The meetings were held in New York City. The Convention contains several obligations toward the contracting states. The existence of such a convention is a great success for the world’s 650 billion persons with disabilities, because their rights are violated in many of the member states.

Hungary was the fourth country of the world, which received the Roosevelt International Award in 2000 from Secretary General, Kofi Annan for its outstanding results and developments in disability affairs. Today, after the approval of Mr. Laszlo Solyom, the President, Hungary became the second ratifying member state of the Convention and the Protocol. The text of the Convention and the Protocol will be published in the official legal journal of the country in its written format as well as in Braille, easy to read, and in sign language.