This is an exciting time for persons with disabilities around the world as the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), and we now await March 30, 2007, when that historic treaty will be opened for signature by U.N. States Parties.

Last year, DPI was proud to offer our members and allies a Ratification Toolkit to support the global campaign for Signature and Ratification of the CRPD. And this year we are equally proud to announce a new Implementation Toolkit to assist with the subsequent implementation phase.

As we embark on this new era in the history of human rights of persons with disabilities, DPI would like to thank all who have helped our organization engage so effectively in the Convention process. We thank particularly the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland for providing the funding for this new toolkit - as it did for our last one. We are truly grateful to the Ministry for sharing our vision and so generously supporting it.

Thank you as well to the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, DPI’s National Assembly in Canada, who once again stepped up to the plate with the research and staffing support needed to bring a new tool to the community. Again, as well, we extend our thanks to the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the General Assembly (GA) and others in the United Nations for making their documents publicly available on the web.

We are also indebted to CODA Multimedia for technical and design support, to the French and Spanish translators who worked with us, our Regional Development Officers and to DPI volunteers around the world. We thank you sincerely for your hard work and commitment.

Mary Ennis
Executive Director
Disabled Peoples’ International
Winnipeg, Canada

January 2007