A/HRC/4/75 page 6 14. Over 2006, the Office participated in several expert group meetings related to the negotiation and adoption of the Convention. In March, the Office participated in a consultative meeting organized by DESA for non-European Union (EU) Eastern European States. The meeting involved both member States and disabled persons organizations (DPOs) and aimed at contributing to the work of the Ad Hoc Committee. 15. From 20 to 21 November, the Office participated in a two-day Conference, organized by CBM (International) and light for the world (Austria), which was part of the International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC) project “Breaking the cycle of poverty and disability in Development Cooperation” Disability Mainstreaming in Development Cooperation, supported by the Directorate General Employment and Social Affairs of the European Commission, in partnership with several non-governmental organizations. The objective of this first European gathering was to formulate a strategy to promote the Convention and its role in advancing development policies inclusive of disability. Strengthened management and planning for OHCHR 16. In April 2006, the Office filled the post of Advisor on Human Rights and Disability ensuring dedicated full-time attention to the mandate at an appropriate level. 17. In keeping with the theme of the International Day of Disabled Persons 2006 (3 December) which was “e-accessibility”, the Office accomplished the first stage of its revision of its homepage, making the page on disabilities accessible. The upgrading of the rest of the website is in progress. II. INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES AND ITS OPTIONAL PROTOCOL 18. On 13 December 2006, the General Assembly adopted the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its optional protocol, as contained in resolution 61/106 (see A/61/611, annex), making it the eighth core human rights treaty. The Convention will be open for signature on 30 March 2007 in New York. The following section outlines some of the main articles and issues raised in the new Convention. The section is intended as an introduction to the Convention; however, given space limitations, the report does not attempt to give a comprehensive overview of each of its provisions. General overview 19. The Convention consists of 50 articles on purpose, general principles, general obligations, specific rights, and actions to be adopted by States to ensure an enabling environment for the fullest enjoyment, without discrimination, of the rights of persons with disabilities, to foster international cooperation and to establish international and national monitoring. The Convention does not create any new rights; rather it clarifies the obligations of States in relation to existing civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. In order to ensure an environment conducive to the fulfilment of the rights of persons with disabilities, the Convention includes articles on awareness-raising, accessibility, situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies, access to justice, personal mobility, habilitation and rehabilitation, as well as statistics and data collection. The Convention establishes a Conference of States parties