U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 

1 

19–118 

" ! SENATE 

112TH CONGRESS

2d Session 

TREATY DOC. 

2012

112–7 

CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH 

DISABILITIES 

MESSAGE 

FROM

THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES 

TRANSMITTING

THE CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES, ADOPTED BY THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY 

ON DECEMBER 13, 2006, AND SIGNED BY THE UNITED STATES 

OF AMERICA ON JUNE 30, 2009 (THE ‘‘CONVENTION’’) 

MAY 17, 2012.—Treaty was read the first time, and together with the 

accompanying papers, referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

and ordered to be printed for the use of the Senate 


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(III)

LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL 

THE WHITE HOUSE, May 17, 2012. 

To the Senate of the United States: 

I transmit herewith, for advice and consent of the Senate to its 

ratification, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 13, 2006, and signed by the United States of America on June 

30, 2009 (the ‘‘Convention’’). I also transmit, for the information of 

the Senate, the report of the Secretary of State with respect to the 

Convention. 

Anchored in the principles of equality of opportunity, nondiscrimination, respect for dignity and individual autonomy, and 

inclusion of persons with disabilities, the Convention seeks to promote, protect, and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all 

human rights by persons with disabilities. While Americans with 

disabilities already enjoy these rights at home, U.S. citizens and 

other individuals with disabilities frequently face barriers when 

they travel, work, serve, study, and reside in other countries. The 

rights of Americans with disabilities should not end at our Nation’s 

shores. Ratification of the Disabilities Convention by the United 

States would position the United States to occupy the global leadership role to which our domestic record already attests. We would 

thus seek to use the Convention as a tool through which to enhance the rights of Americans with disabilities, including our veterans. Becoming a State Party to the Convention and mobilizing 

greater international compliance could also level the playing field 

for American businesses, who already must comply with U.S. disability laws, as well as those whose products and services might 

find new markets in countries whose disability standards move 

closer to those of the United States. 

Protection of the rights of persons with disabilities has historically been grounded in bipartisan support in the United States, 

and the principles anchoring the Convention find clear expression 

in our own domestic law. As described more fully in the accompanying report, the strong guarantees of nondiscrimination and 

equality of access and opportunity for persons with disabilities in 

existing U.S. law are consistent with and sufficient to implement 

the requirements of the Convention as it would be ratified by the 

United States. 

I recommend that the Senate give prompt and favorable consideration to this Convention and give its advice and consent to its 

ratification, subject to the reservations, understandings, and declaration set forth in the accompanying report. 

BARACK OBAMA. 


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(V)

LETTER OF SUBMITTAL 

DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, June 23, 2011. 

The PRESIDENT, The White House. 

THE PRESIDENT: I have the honor to submit to you the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (the convention), 

adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 13, 

2006, and signed by the United States of America on July 30, 2009. 

I recommend the convention be transmitted to the Senate for its 

advice and consent to ratification. Ratification of the convention 

would serve both to underscore our commitment to the rights of 

persons with disabilities and to enhance our ability to promote 

those rights internationally. 

At its core, the convention seeks to ensure that persons with disabilities enjoy the same rights as everyone else and are able to lead 

their lives productively as do other individuals, if given the same 

opportunities. The United States has always been a world leader 

in ensuring the rights of individuals with disabilities, through legislation and enforcement measures. The United States has made 

great progress toward the goals of inclusion, equal opportunity, full 

participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency. By 

becoming a party to the convention, the United States would continue its leadership role and would be in a better position to support, assist, and encourage other states to ratify and implement the 

convention, thereby contributing to verifiable improvements in 

guaranteeing to persons with disabilities equality of opportunity, 

nondiscrimination, accessibility, and reasonable accommodation in 

foreign countries. In short, ratification would position us as a leader in promoting the rights of approximately 650 million people in 

the world who have a disability, including the large number of 

Americans with disabilities who travel, study, do business, and reside abroad. Ultimately, it will be persons with disabilities, both inside and outside the United States, who will benefit from the global 

acceptance and implementation of the convention. 

Equality of treatment and nondiscrimination, precepts anchored 

in the United States Constitution, are the primary principles permeating the entire treaty. The convention’s provisions apply these 

principles in a number of key areas, such as: • Participation in political life and access to justice, • Freedom from torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading 

treatment. 

• Accessibility, personal mobility, and reasonable accommodation, • Health, 


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• Education, 

• Employment, 

• Housing, and • Rehabilitation. 

To assist the Senate in its consideration of the convention, I am 

enclosing a detailed report containing an article-by-article analysis, 

which addresses U.S. convention implementation. Included in that 

analysis are three reservations, five understandings, and one declaration that are recommended for inclusion in the Senate’s resolution of advice and consent. As further discussed in the enclosed report, if the United States makes the proposed reservations, understandings, and declaration, existing domestic law will serve to implement the convention. 

It is my belief that if ratified as outlined above, adoption of the 

convention would be advantageous to the United States. All relevant U.S. government departments and agencies, including key 

implementing departments and agencies, participated actively in 

this review of the convention’s provisions with respect to their domestic authorities. In particular, the Departments of Justice and 

Health and Human Services and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission join me in recommending that the convention 

be submitted to the Senate for its early and favorable consideration 

and advice and consent to ratification, subject to the reservations, 

understandings, and declaration set forth in the enclosed report. 

Respectfully submitted, 

HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON. 

Enclosures: As stated. 


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