Preamble

Abstract

This chapter discusses the preamble to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The preamble consists of twenty-five paragraphs, and is thus half the length of the operative provisions of the treaty. Of the core human rights conventions, it is by far the longest preamble among them. Preambles to human rights treaties, as with all treaty preambles, are introductory statements that set out the treaty’s purpose, underlying philosophy, drafters’ intent, and historical evolution. The preamble facilitates treaty interpretation; supports the interpretation of particular provisions which are less precise than they should be by its indication of the general idea behind them, and indicates the spirit in which they should be applied; and can contribute to the crystallization of an international rule.