CPACC: Standards and Laws Questions
and Answers | Rated A+
What is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights? – Answer Signed in 1948, the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a milestone document in the history of human rights. Drafted by
representatives with different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world, it set out, for
the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected.
What is the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)? – Answer The Convention
follows decades of work by the United Nations to change attitudes and approaches to persons with
disabilities. It takes to a new height the movement from viewing persons with disabilities as “objects” of
charity, medical treatment and social protection towards viewing persons with disabilities as “subjects”
with rights, who are capable of claiming those rights and making decisions for their lives based on their
free and informed consent as well as being active members of society. The Convention is intended as a
human rights instrument with an explicit, social development dimension. It adopts a broad
categorization of persons with disabilities and reaffirms that all persons with all types of disabilities must
enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms. It clarifies and qualifies how all categories of rights
apply to persons with disabilities and identifies areas where adaptations have to be made for persons
with disabilities to effectively exercise their rights and areas where their rights have been violated, and
where protection of rights must be reinforced. The Convention was negotiated during eight sessions of
an Ad Hoc Committee of the General Assembly from 2002 to 2006, making it the fastest negotiated
human rights treaty.
What is the The Marrakesh Treaty? – Answer The purpose of the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate
Access to Published Works for Persons who are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled is to
ensure that people who have vision or other print disabilities have access to books and other printed
materials. In its introduction to the treaty, the World Intellectual Property Organization states that:
The Marrakesh Treaty was adopted on June 27, 2013 in Marrakesh and it forms part of the body of
international copyright treaties administered by WIPO. It has a clear humanitarian and social
development dimension and its main goal is to create a set of mandatory limitations and exceptions for
the benefit of the blind, visually impaired, and otherwise print disabled (VIPs).
What is the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union? – Answer The Charter of
Fundamental Rights of the European Union (the Charter) brings together the fundamental rights of
everyone living in the EU. It was introduced to bring consistency and clarity to the rights established at
different times and in different ways in individual EU Member States. The Charter sets out the full range
of civil, political, economic and social rights based on:
- The fundamental rights and freedoms recognised by the European Convention on Human Rights
- The constitutional traditions of the EU Member States, for example, longstanding protections of rights
which exist in the common law and constitutional law of the UK and other EU Member States - The Council of Europe’s Social Charter
- The Community Charter of Fundamental Social Rights of Workers, and
- Other international conventions to which the EU or its Member States are parties.
The Charter became legally binding on EU Member States when the Treaty of Lisbon entered into force
in December 2009. Relevant articles include:
Article 26: Integration of persons with disabilities The Union recognises and respects the right of persons
with disabilities to benefit from measures designed to ensure their independence, social and
occupational integration and participation in the life of the community.
Article 21: Non-discrimination Any discrimination based on any ground such as sex, race, colour, ethnic
or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership
of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation shall be prohibited.
What is the The African Charter on Human and People’s Rights? – Answer Although the Charter does
not specify disability, Article 2 recognizes the rights of all persons:
Article 2: Every individual shall be entitled to the enjoyment of the rights and freedoms recognised and
guaranteed in the present Charter without distinction of any kind such as race, ethnic group, colour, sex,
language, religion, political or any other opinion, national and social origin, fortune, birth or any status.
What is the Inter-American Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Persons
with Disabilities? – Answer Articles II and III of the Convention lay out the Convention’s objectives
and how they will be achieved.
Article II: The objectives of this Convention are to prevent and eliminate all forms of discrimination
against persons with disabilities and to promote their full integration into society.