The Convention – which Secretary-General Ban Kimoon has called "a powerful tool to eradicate the obstacles faced by persons with disabilities" – was adopted by the General Assembly on December 13, 2006, and was opened for signature and ratification on March 30, 2007. Since then it has been signed by 127 countries and ratified by 25. Jamaica was the first country to ratify the Convention, and on April 3, 2008, Ecuador ratified, providing the sufficient number of parties for the Convention to enter into force.

The Convention does not create any new rights, but aims to ensure that the benefits of existing rights are fully extended and guaranteed. The treaty asserts the right of people with disabilities to education, health, work, adequate living conditions, freedom of movement, freedom from exploitation, and equal recognition before the law. It also addresses the need for persons with disabilities to have access to public transport, buildings, and other facilities, and recognizes their capacity to make decisions for themselves.

The convention’s Optional Protocol, which will also be binding simultaneously, allows individuals to petition an international expert body with grievances. By ratifying the Convention, States commit themselves to enact laws and other measures to improve disability rights, and also abolish legislation, customs, and practices that discriminate against persons with disabilities.

The Convention establishes a new body to monitor its implementation, the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, as well as a Conference of States Parties, which is expected to be convened within six months. The United Nations will mark the treaty’s entry into force with a special ceremony in new York today with participants from governments, United Nations agencies, and civil society.