Disability is understood today not merely as an individual medical condition but as an issue of human rights, equality, dignity and social justice. The international framework on disability has developed gradually from a charity and welfare-oriented approach towards a rights-based approach. This framework is particularly significant from a gender and law perspective because women and girls with disabilities often experience multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination. The United Nations has played the central role in developing international standards relating to disability. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948, established the principle that all human beings are entitled to rights and freedoms without discrimination. Although it did not specifically focus on disability, its principles of equality, dignity and non-discrimination provide the foundation for later disability rights instruments. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 1966, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 1966, strengthened the international commitment to equality and the enjoyment of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. These instruments require states to respect rights without discrimination and are relevant to persons with disabilities in areas such as education, employment, health, participation and social security. An important development was the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons, 1975. It recognized that persons with disabilities have rights to dignity, education, employment, social