UN Committee challenges Council of Europe protocol on disability rights

The United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has issued an urgent open letter to the member states of the Council of Europe. The committee is calling for the immediate withdrawal of a draft Additional Protocol to the Oviedo Convention, which regulates involuntary psychiatric hospitalization and treatment. The UN body argues that the draft is incompatible with international human rights treaties, specifically citing that it risks legitimizing coercive practices that violate rights to liberty and health.

In a separate initiative related to disability rights, the San Marino Commission for the Implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is organizing ‘The Weekend of Love’. Scheduled for September 5-6, 2026, at the San Marino Colony in Pinarella di Cervia, the residential event focuses on affectivity and social relationships for people with disabilities and their families. Held in collaboration with LoveLife Impresa Sociale, the program aims to promote autonomy, dignity, and the right to build meaningful social connections through workshops and training.