Disability Council International (DisabCouncil) is a leading international human rights advocacy nonprofit working to promote the human rights of persons with disabilities through a variety of projects both in Geneva - this center of world politics on human rights issues, and in the world regions.
A World Report on Disability published by the World Health Organization in 2011 shows that an estimated over one billion people, or 15% of the world population, live with some form of disabilities around the world!
With the adoption of the UN International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD Convention), persons with disabilities worldwide have an instrument that allows them to no longer just aspire to charity and condescending, but to full inclusion in their respective societies.
The United Nations General Assembly adopted the CRPD Convention and its Optional Protocol on 13 December 2006 and it entered into force on 3 May 2008.
DISABILITY COUNCIL INTERNATIONAL (DisabCouncil) is positioned as an innovative nonprofit organization working to promote the full realization of the rights of persons with disabilities. Far too often disability is viewed as a health or charity issue. Disability Council International believes that persons with disabilities should be seen as an asset for the future of their countries rather than a burden to avoid. It is not so much a question of curing the impairments of persons with disabilities as it is of removing society-made barriers (stereotypes, inaccessible environment, lack of reasonable accommodation) preventing the full and productive inclusion of persons with disabilities in absolutely all areas and forms of life in society.
It is a matter of putting ability and human dignity first.
In this regard, Disability Council International is an international NGO, universal in membership (it is open to persons with all forms of disabilities, but is appeals equally to persons without disabilities, who are invited to work, as active partners, for the promotion of the equal human rights of persons with disabilities). Disability Council International is universal in its territorial ambit (its activities extend to all countries of the world).
Disability Council International is based in Geneva (Switzerland) and works to encourage the universal ratification and implementation of the CRPD UN human rights Convention, through building programs of support to States and to the UN monitoring body ( the UN CRPD Committee), the UN Offices and Agencies dealing with disability issues, civil society organizations, and national human rights institutions. It also develops projects directly benefiting individual persons with disabilities and their communities in all countries of the world.
Disability Council International also contributes to implementing the UN Disability Convention by disseminating best practices in the realization of the human rights of persons with disabilities and fostering international cooperation in the exchange of technical innovations.