From international standard to national practice: The role of national disability institutions in making the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities a reality in South and Central America

Article 33 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) lays out a strategy for its national implementation and monitoring. At the academic and international level, key characteristics of the focal point and framework have been identified, but there is little information on State compliance. In this context, the chapter presents a critique of CRPD implementation frameworks and monitoring mechanisms in Latin South and Central America through a literary review. The authors find that implementation has been carried out by Disability Councils with the participation of DPOs evenly throughout the region, while monitoring has been a fragmented process, often rejected by the CRPD Committee. Based on this, the authors suggest that the CRPD Committee provides stronger guidance on Article 33, and State parties strengthen Disability Councils and National Human Rights Institutions as the institutions called upon to fulfil its obligations.