Periodic Reporting by States Parties

The practice of periodic reporting to the CRPD Committee provides a means of systematically monitoring how State parties are meeting their obligations under the Convention. Reporting under the CRPD is an important tool with which governments, national human rights institutions and civil society can take stock of the degree of progress in enjoyment of human rights of persons with disabilities in a particular Member State.

Article 35 of the CRPD requires States Parties to submit to the CRPD Committee, within two years of ratification, an initial comprehensive report on measures taken to implement the treaty and progress to date. The CRPD Committee, like other treaty bodies, has established reporting guidelines to assist States Parties in the preparation of their reports.[1]

The initial report should do the following:

• Establish the constitutional, legal, and administrative framework for the implementation of the CRPD, including identification of laws that advance the CRPD, as well as those that have been, or still need to be, modified to advance implementation;
• Explain the policies and programmes adopted to implement each of the CRPD’s provisions; and
• Identify any progress made in the enjoyment of the rights of persons with disabilities as a result of the ratification and implementation of the CRPD.

Each State Party must submit subsequent reports at least every four years or whenever the Committee so requests. Subsequent reports should do the following:

• Respond to the concerns and other issues highlighted by the CRPD Committee in its concluding observations on previous reports;
• Indicate progress made in the enjoyment of the rights of persons with disabilities during the reporting period; and
• Highlight any obstacles that the government and other actors might have faced in implementing the CRPD over the reporting period.