United Nations Press Release UN Landmark Disability Treaty to Enter into Force on 3 May United Nations, 2 May 2008 – The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is set to enter into force tomorrow, 3 May, marking a new era in efforts to protect the rights of the world’s 650 million persons with disabilities. The Convention, the first new human rights treaty of the 21st Century, has been signed by 127 countries since 30 March 2007 and ratified by 25. The Convention needed 20 countries to ratify it before it could take effect. Jamaica was the first country to ratify the Convention, and on 3 April, Ecuador ratified it, providing the sufficient number of parties for the Convention to enter into force. Along with the Convention, an Optional Protocol which will allow individuals and groups to petition for relief will also take effect on 3 May. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called the Convention “a powerful tool to eradicate the obstacles faced by persons ...