Welcome to the Website of UN Special Rapporteur Gerard Quinn
UN expert Dr. Heba Hagrass, the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at the United Nations, is participating in the 17th session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which kicks off at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
Making people's rights real require cultural shifts that go beyond signing treaties. Only co-production between people and governments can produce the ideas needed to unlock change.
THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR’S WORK
As Special Rapporteur, Gerard works to promote the participation of persons with disabilities in the co-production of laws and policies at local, regional and international levels. This is the only way to make sure that their experiences are visible, and their rights known and respected.
To do this, he consults with organizations, government agencies, individual experts and international institutions to identify key issues affecting people with disabilities. Then he makes recommendations and offers technical support to ensure that their experiences, aspirations and needs are taken into account in all relevant laws and policies.
He also promotes the visibility of persons with disabilities and their rights in global challenges such as armed conflicts, the COVID 19 pandemic, climate change and other factors driving humanitarian emergencies, advocating for their participation. His work is guided by the international human rights treaties, in particular the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities, or CRPD.
