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IFES Statement on the Defeat of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in the U.S. Senate

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The following is a statement by Bill Sweeney, president and CEO of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), regarding the defeat of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in the U.S. Senate:

“By not ratifying the CRPD, the U.S. has taken a step backward. The European Union and 125 countries have ratified the international treaty, which has proven to be a valuable tool for the disability community, even in countries where human rights are not generally respected.

IFES works with disabled persons organizations around the world to increase access to the political process. International organizations look to the United States as an example of how, with nondiscriminatory laws and reasonable accommodations, people with disabilities can equally participate in their communities.

Twenty-two years ago, when the U.S. adopted the Americans with Disabilities Act, it was the gold standard of disability rights. However, in terms of political participation, disability rights have evolved since then. The recent trend in international law is for universal suffrage for all persons with disabilities, including those with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities.

IFES’ experience around the world is that international obligations like the CRPD have an impact on individual lives. Myanmar, for example, ratified the CRPD last year and has received IFES’ support to implement Article 29 of the treaty on access to political and public life. The CRPD has given disability advocates the political space in which to advocate for their rights with their governments.

Ratification would have sent a strong message to the disabilities community around the world that the U.S. supports their human rights.”