Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
The first session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities took place in New York on 31 October and 3 November 2008. The Conference held an interactive panel discussion entitled "The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as a human rights instrument and a tool for achieving the Millennium Development Goals" and elected twelve members of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is serviced by a joint Secretariat composed of the Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, housed in the Department for Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The Conference of States Parties is serviced by DESA, while the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is serviced by OHCHR.