This Handbook is the outcome of cooperation between the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

The preparation of the Handbook benefited from an editorial review board consisting of parliamentarians, academics and practitioners – many of whom are persons with disabilities. Parliaments and parliamentarians have a key role to play in promoting and protecting human rights.

This Handbook aims to assist parliamentarians and others in efforts to realize the Convention so that persons with disabilities can achieve the transition from exclusion to equality. The Handbook seeks to raise awareness of the Convention and its provisions, promote an appreciation of disability concerns, and assist parliaments in understanding the mechanisms and frameworks needed to translate the Convention into practice.