B. What is the purpose of the Convention?
The purpose of the Convention is set out in its article 1: to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with
disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity.
Several elements merit further examination:
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Promote, protect and ensure rights: this underlines the multiple layers of State obligations under the Convention which are to promote (e.g., raise awareness
about the rights of persons with disabilities), protect (e.g., adopt laws and policies that recognize the rights of persons
with disabilities and provide remedies for violations) and ensure rights (e.g., promote physical and informational accessibility
to services).
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Full and equal enjoyment of all human rights: this asserts that persons with disabilities have the same rights as others and that they should be able to enjoy those rights
on an equal basis with everyone in society.
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Respect for inherent dignity: this underlies all aspects of human rights as it emphasizes the notion that respect for human rights is the bottom line
which in many ways defines our humanity. A failure to respect rights is a failure to respect an individual's dignity and this
is the experience of many people with disabilities around the world.
Article 1 also explains what is meant by “persons with disabilities”, which is examined below.