International Legal Regulation of the Principle of Non-Discrimination in the Field of Protection of the Rights of Person s With Disabilities

Abstract

Problem setting. Opposing discrimination and ensuring equality for all individuals is one of the most important responsibilities of every democratic, rule-of-law state. Legal regulations regarding these issues are enshrined in numerous provisions not only in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, but also in regional legal acts Analysis of recent researches and publications. Because of the importance of ensuring equality and prevention of discrimination of people with disabilities this problem was analyzed by many foreign authors, including D. L. Hosking, S. Charitakis, L. Waddington, Sh. Quinlivan and others. Domestic lawyers such as: O. Melnyk, S. Vavzhenchuk, L. Susharnyk and others also worked on this topic but only in some areas, so it didn’t get enough attention. Target of the research is to analyze the characteristics and compare the anti-discrimination provisions regarding persons with disabilities at both the universal and regional levels, while providing examples of such regulation at the national level. Article’s main body. The article focuses on the analysis of international legal acts of the United Nations, Council of Europe, and the European Union in the field of combating discrimination against persons with disabilities. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is the main document that serves as a reference point for all other acts, although it has a more programmatic character and requires further implementation steps. The author notes that at the regional level, there are successful examples of further development and clarification of the Convention’s provisions, including a clear division and characterization of types of discrimination, which is not present in the Convention. The author also emphasizes the important role that regional judicial bodies (the ECHR and the EU Court) play in protecting persons with disabilities from discrimination, as they carry out both interpretative and legal gap-filling functions through their practice. Сonclusions and prospects for the development. Since the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities occupies a central place in the system of international legal acts in the field of protection of the rights of persons with disabilities, both individual states and the Council of Europe with the European Union use it as a basis for developing their own normative acts on the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities, including regarding ensuring equality and non-discrimination. At the same time, it should be pointed out the existence of positive practices in this direction and not only the implementation, but also the development of the provisions of the Convention, such as the Council of the EU Directive on Employment Discrimination or the case law of the ECHR in this area. The author highlights that one of the most important elements of fighting discrimination in the context of disability is the imposition by the Convention of positive obligations on state parties to combat it, the implementation of which is already reflected in some normative acts.