The Promise and Challenge of the United Nations Convention on the rights of Persons with Disabilities
![handle is hein.journals/sjilc34 and id is 291 raw text is: THE PROMISE AND CHALLENGE OF THE UNITED
NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF
PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
Arlene S. Kanter*
The purpose of the present Convention is to promote, protect and
ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and
fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote
respect for their inherent dignity.'
BACKGROUND
On December 13, 2006, the United Nations General Assembly
adopted by consensus a landmark treaty on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities 2 and an Optional Protocol.3 On March 30, 2007, the
* Arlene S. Kanter is a Meredith Professor of Teaching Excellence and Professor of Law at
Syracuse University College of Law, founder and director of the College of Law Disability
Law and Policy Program, and co-director of the Syracuse University Center on Human
Policy, Law, and Disability Studies. The author wishes to thank College of Law students
Erin Beatty (SUCOL'07) and Janet Moon (SUCOL'08), for assistance in research for this
article, and to acknowledge funding from the College of Law and the Meredith Fund for
support of my research and trips to the United Nations to participate in the Ad Hoc Meetings
on the Disability Convention. I also wish to thank Julie Lu, Editor in Chief, and the staff of
the Syracuse Journal of International Law and Commerce for their dedication and
perseverance in bringing this Special Issue to publication on such a short timetable. Finally,
I wish to offer always and forever my thanks to Steven, Rachel, and Ari, the loves of my
life.
1. The Secretary-General, Final Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on a Comprehensive
and Integral International Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and
Dignity of Persons with Disabilities, art. 1, delivered to the General Assembly, U.N. Doc.
A/61/611 (Dec. 6, 2006) [hereinafter Final Report]. The full text of the Convention is
available on the U.N. website. United Nations, United Nations Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities, http://www.un.org/disabilities/convention/conventionfull.shtml
(last visited Apr. 15, 2007). The webcast of the session is also online. United Nations,
Webcast, http://www.un.org/webcast/ga.html (last visited Apr. 15, 2007).
2. Information Note, U.N. Office of Legal Affairs, Convention on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities (Dec. 13, 2006), available at
http://www.un.org/esa/socdiv/enable/opsigola.htm (last visited Apr. 15, 2007); Convention
on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, G.A. Res. 61/106, 76th plen. mtg., U.N. Doc
AIRES/61/106 (Dec. 13, 2006) [hereinafter CRPD].
3. Ad Hoc Committee on a Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on
the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities, Draft
Final Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on a Comprehensive and Integral International
Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with
Disabilities on its Resumed Eighth Session, U.N. Doc. A/AC.265/2006/L.7 (Dec. 5, 2006),
available at http://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/ UNDOC/LTD/N06/ 626/33/pdf/
N0662633.pdfOpenElement (last visited Apr. 15, 2007) [hereinafter Disability
Convention]. Nations will be largely responsible for enforcing the rights, though an](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.journals/sjilc34&div=12&collection=journals&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)
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The Promise and Challenge of the United Nations Convention on the rights of Persons with Disabilities
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