An Evaluation of the First Decade of the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: From Social Development to Human Rights

ABSTRACT: 2024 marked the tenth anniversary of the creation of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This article presents an evaluation of the Special Rapporteur's premiere decade by: (1) mapping the ideological and political development of the mandate; (2) situating the mandate within the special procedures framework as a whole; (3) reviewing the Special Rapporteur's work with respect to its three core activities (i.e., issuing communications, conducting country visits, and presenting annual reports); and (4) proposing some modest suggestions for the future, particularly with respect to country visits, which are critical to amplifying the voices of persons with disabilities and ensuring the Special Rapporteur's work is informed by lived experience.