Transnational Social Movement Network and the Implementation of Crpd and in Taiwan

The United Nation Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2006 triggered the disability rights revolution globally. Taiwan is not a member of United Nations and has been excluded from the international human rights framework. However, the government continuously seeks to engage in international affairs through non-official UN channels. This paper explores the role of the transnational disability rights social movement networks in promoting a rights framework for Taiwan and a unique way of ratification of CRPD in Taiwan. The data include interviews with activists from major Taiwanese disability rights non-governmental organizations (NGOs), newsletters from disability rights organizations, documents of workshops and conferences with transnational social movement networks, legal documents related to disability policies, and participation observation of workshops and rights campaign related to CRPD. This paper shows that transnational networks bring rights framing to local disability rights NGOs. The rights frame not only transforms the disability policies, but also triggers new wave of political participation by disabled people and led to the establishment of new advocacy networks by disabled people. Finally, this paper discusses the politics of cooperation among a non-UN regime, local social movement organization and transnational civil society organizations in transnational human rights campaign.