For the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is conducting a study with the theme: “lessons learned and challenges in the development of human rights standards and norms.”
To complete this study, OHCHR invites contributions from States (governments responsible for protecting the human rights of their people); regional organizations; civil society organizations (including organizations of persons with disabilities); national human rights institutions; academia; international organizations; and other relevant stakeholders.
The study will highlight how human rights standards and norms have been reflected in legislation, policy, and institutional frameworks and their effect on the experiences of persons with disabilities.
The OHCHR will be accepting submissions for the following questions:
- What have been the main lessons learned and challenges in the development of human rights standards and norms over the past twenty years?
- Please provide examples of how these lessons learned and challenges have been reflected in legislation, policies, or institutional frameworks.
- What impact have these legislation, policies or institutional frameworks had on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with disabilities? Please include, where available,relevant data, indicators, or evidence.
- Please provide concrete examples, including good practices, challenges, or lessons learned that illustrate the implementation and impact of these developments.
Researchers are looking for contributors to focus on topic areas such as accessibility; equality; legal capacity; independency; inclusion in community; education; health; employment; access to justice; political and public participation; and other themes in the CRPD.
Interested parties are invited to submit comments by email to ohchr-registry@un.org. Please use the subject line: Submission – Annual thematic study on the rights of persons with disabilities (HRC resolution 61/9). Please keep submissions accessible so they can be shared publicly on the OHCHR website. Submissions must be received by September 1, 2026, 6:00pm (Geneva time).
Read more in the full OHCHR Call for Input. If you have further questions regardingparticipation, please email the Human Rights and Disability Unit or Ms. Martyna Balciunaite Albaret.