Exercise: How does your country ratify a human rights convention?

Ratification works differently in different countries. If you are going to advocate that your country ratify the disability Convention, it will be important to find out how ratification works in your country. In order to do this you may need to talk to some people. People who might be able to help you understand how ratification works in your country include:

• Your local member of parliament – if parliament has a role to play in ratification then this person should be able to tell you how that works. If they do not know, then they ought to be able to recommend someone for you to talk to.
• A representative from the ministry of foreign affairs – the ministry may have been involved in the drafting negotiations for the disability Convention, and so they may know what has to happen in order for your country to ratify the Convention.

In many countries (though not in all), the national constitution says who is responsible for ratifying international conventions. It may be helpful to look at your national constitution if you have access to it. The constitution may not provide all of the detailed procedural steps involved in ratification, but it may indicate who (e.g. parliament, the president, the prime minister, cabinet, etc.) has the authority to ratify conventions. Once you know who the decision-makers are, then you will have a better sense of who to approach to find out more details.