Open dialogue to discuss the ratification by the Republic of Moldova of the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

The Optional Protocol establishes an individual complaints mechanism, which persons with disabilities can address, when they believe that their rights under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities were violated.

The event was organised by UN Human Rights Office in Moldova as well as the UN Resident Coordinators’ Office in the context of the celebration of the 10th anniversary of ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities by the Republic of Moldova. Some of the successes of the Moldovan government over the past 10 years include the adoption of the law on social inclusion of persons with disabilities, and amendments made to the Civil Code with a view to improving the protection means of rights of persons with disabilities. The adoption by the Government of the Republic of Moldova of a comprehensive programme for the social inclusion of persons with disabilities, as well as of a program on deinstitutionalization, which are both presently being implemented are noteworthy achievements. Furthermore, a series of new services that facilitate the process of social and educational inclusion of persons with disabilities were developed over the past 10 years and are being provided, such as personal assistance and mobile team services for persons with disabilities, and support teachers in schools for students with disabilities.  

Persons with disabilities and their representative organizations emphasized during the event that the Optional Protocol, once ratified by the Republic of Moldova, will contribute to the empowerment of persons with disabilities. The People’s Advocate and the President of the Council for Preventing and Eliminating Discrimination and Ensuring Equality highlighted the importance of the individual complaints mechanism for the advancement of the rights of persons with disabilities.

The UN Resident Coordinator noted that “Moldova has come a long way in ensuring the respect, protection and fulfilment of rights of persons with disabilities. The Optional Protocol, once ratified, will contribute even further to the full implementation of the Convention, as it will allow individuals to claim their rights, and outcomes of the individual complaints will guide the authorities on what more they can do to ensure full implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.”

The Minister of Health, Labour and Social Protection, Viorica Dumbrăveanu, reconfirmed the government’s commitment to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities by 2021.

The actual number of persons with disabilities in the Republic of Moldova exceeds 176 000, which constitutes approximately 6.6% of the general population of the country.

For more details, please contact Xenia Siminciuc at consultant.siminciuc@ohchr.org