On Thursday, 28 January, the Saeima on the second and final reading adopted a law which ratifies the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 

The purpose of the Convention is 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. The Convention promotes and protects human rights of people with disabilities in economic, social, political, civil and cultural spheres.

The signatories to the Convention undertake to ensure and promote protection of fundamental rights and freedoms for all persons with disabilities and to eliminate any discrimination based on disability.

Each signatory, by using all available resources, must determine measures which will gradually enable people with disabilities to exercise their economic, cultural and social rights. 

In view of the fact that Latvia was the only EU member state which was not among the signatories to the Convention, in May 2008 the Saeima tasked the government to sign it. On 18 July 2008, Latvia signed the Convention. 

The implementation of the Convention will be coordinated by the Ministry of Welfare, but its proper application will be supervised by the Ombudsman’s office.

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E-mail: prese@saeima.lv