Following the EU's ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and its Optional Protocol in 2010, the EESC committed1 to setting up a structure to monitor the implementation of the Convention. The Study Group on Disability Rights started its activities in 2015, with the following objectives:
- To ensure practical implementation of the UNCRPD both within and outside the EESC;
- To facilitate EU policy guidance in key areas highlighted by the UNCPRD Committee;
- To facilitate participation by providing a forum for debate and structured participation for disability organisations (DPOs), civil society organisations and other stakeholders in the implementation of the UNCRPD.