This week, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations held its second hearing on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD, Treaty Doc 112-7), an international treaty that sets global standards for the treatment of people with disabilities. Endorsed by more than 150 countries, the CRPD is closely based on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA, PL 101-336), and furthers its goals of empowering individuals with disabilities to achieve economic self-sufficiency, independent living, and integration into all aspects of society.Signed by the US in 2009, a two-thirds Senate majority is required to make US participation official. ADvancing States believes swift, bipartisan ratification of the CRPD is critical to the country’s long-standing reputation as a global leader in non-discrimination and human rights, and to improving the lives, health, and economic opportunities for the one billion people with disabilities worldwide. ADvancing States’s letter of support for the Treaty is available here.