3. INTERNATIONAL COMMITMENTS 3.1 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities The Maldives has ratified the international convention addressing the specific needs of persons with disabilities. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and its Optional Protocol was adopted on 13 December 2006 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York and was opened for signature on 30 March 2007 (UnitedNations 2009). The Maldives signed the CRPD on 02 October 2007. The purpose of the Convention is to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity. The CRPD entered into force on 03 May 2008, and the Maldives deposited the instrument of ratification on 05 April 2010. In a press statement issued on 03 December 2008 to mark the International Day of Disability, Minister of Health and Family Dr. Aminath Jameel expressed that ratification of the CRPD was necessary to ensure the full realisation of the rights of persons with disabilities and to get the full participation of all duty bearing agencies of the