A/HRC/RES/19/11
United Nations
General Assembly
Distr.: General
23 April 2012
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Nineteenth session
Agenda item 3
Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,
political, economic, social and cultural rights,
including the right to development
Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council*
19/11
Rights of persons with disabilities: participation in political and public
life
The Human Rights Council,
Recalling the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,
Reaffirming the universality, indivisibility, interdependence and interrelatedness of
all human rights and fundamental freedoms and the need for persons with disabilities to be
guaranteed the full enjoyment of their rights and freedoms without discrimination,
Reaffirming also all previous resolutions of the Human Rights Council on the rights
of persons with disabilities, the most recent of which was resolution 16/15 of 24 March
2011, and welcoming the efforts of all stakeholders to implement those resolutions,
Reaffirming further the right to participate in political and public life, as set out in
article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that everyone has the
right to take part in the Government of his or her country directly, or through freely chosen
representatives, and the right of equal access to public service, as well as, inter alia, article
25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and, most recently and with
regard to persons with disabilities, in article 29 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities,
Recalling that the above-mentioned article 29 of the Convention reaffirms the right
of persons with disabilities to participate in political and public life, and that parties to the
Convention are required to guarantee political rights to persons with disabilities and adopt
all appropriate measures to ensure that they enjoy these rights on an equal basis with others,
Recognizing that progress has been made, yet deeply concerned that many persons
with disabilities in all regions continue to be denied their right to participate in political and
*
GE.12-13215
The resolutions and decisions adopted by the Human Rights Council will be contained in the report of
the Council on its nineteenth session (A/HRC/19/2), chap. I.