While international and national law are not identical, they are often considered to be related, and courts may interpret these two areas differently. A nation’s national law governs domestic laws, and a foreign country’s law governs its international obligations. Both are binding, and practitioners routinely apply them. But how do you determine whether a rule is international or national? In this article, we look at the difference between the two and explain why each should be treated differently.

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The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities requires that countries ban discrimination against people with disabilities. This ban requires that national laws and constitutions contain detailed legislative provisions that prohibit discrimination against persons with disabilities in all areas of public and private life. How these laws are written depends on the legal system in a particular country. While many countries have national constitutions containing disability-specific rights, only a few countries have adopted a universal law.