Procedure to submit information to the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disability

The communications procedure

The Special Rapporteur seeks to receive credible and reliable information on alleged human rights violations relevant to her mandate from a variety of sources � including individuals, groups, DPOs, NGOs, civil society, Governments, United Nations agencies and bodies, and intergovernmental organizations � with a view to assess and bring individual cases, situations of concern, and/or trends and patterns of alleged violations, to the attention of the State concerned and, at a later stage, to the international community, to ensure the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities.

If the Special Rapporteur decides to act on the information received, he/she will then transmit a letter to the relevant State raising concerns and seeking clarification on the alleged violations and requesting a reply with comments and observations within a specific timeframe.

Communications sent by the Special Rapporteur and State replies are confidential for a period of 60 days before being made publicly available in the communications database of Special Procedures. Communications on legislation and policy are made publicly available after two working days.

Communications are also published in the Communications Reports submitted before each regular session of the Human Rights Council (in March, June and September). In certain situations, including those of grave concern, the Special Rapporteur may issue a public statement earlier.

Protection of victims and sources

It is important to note that neither the Special Rapporteur nor the United Nations have the means to ensure the safety of persons on whose behalf they may intervene.

According to the established procedure, the names of alleged victims are included in communications sent to States to enable the competent authorities to investigate the alleged violations and/or take appropriate preventive/corrective actions. The names of victims are normally also published in the Communications Reports, unless privacy or protection concerns require maintaining their identity confidential (e.g., for children, victims of sexual violence and other cases, identities are redacted from the public reports).

The identity of sources of information is always kept confidential. Therefore, it is neither included in the communication sent to the State, nor in the public Communications Report.

Procedure to submit information to the Special Rapporteur

Information meeting the criteria above can be submitted to the Special Rapporteur in accessible format by:

• e-mail to:  [email protected] 
• postal mail to: Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
  OHCHR-UNOG
  8-14 Avenue de la Paix
  1211 Geneva 10
  Switzerland