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E/CN.5/2004/L.5/Rev.1
13 February 2004
Commission for Social Development
Forty-second session
4-13 February 2004
Agenda item 3 (b) (ii)
Follow-up to the World Summit for Social Development and the twenty-fourth
special session of the General Assembly: review of relevant United Nations
plans and programmes of action pertaining to the situation of social groups:
equalization of opportunities for persons with disabilities
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Guatemala, Israel, Haiti, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Peru, Southafrica, Thailand, Tunisia, Uruguay and Venezuela
The Economic and Social Council,
Recalling General Assembly resolution 56/168 of 19 December 2001, by which the Assembly established an Ad Hoc Committee open to the participation of all Member States and observers to the United Nations, to consider proposals for a comprehensive and integral international convention to promote and protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities, based on the holistic approach in the work carried out in the fields of social development, human rights and non-discrimination, and taking into account the recommendations of the Commission on Human Rights and the Commission for Social Development,
Recalling further Economic and Social Council resolution 2003/12 of 21 July 2003, on a comprehensive and integral international convention to promote and protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities,
Recalling also General Assembly resolution 58/246, of 23 December 2003, in which the Assembly decided that the Ad Hoc Committee on a comprehensive and integral international convention to promote and protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities would start the negotiations on a draft convention at its third session,
Welcoming the important contributions made so far to the Ad Hoc Committee by all stakeholders,
Welcoming the progress made in the Working Group established by the Ad Hoc Committee in preparing a draft text which would be the basis for negotiations on a draft convention in the Ad Hoc Committee, taking into account all contributions,
Encouraging Member States and observers to participate actively in the Ad Hoc Committee in order to present to the General Assembly, as a matter of priority, a draft text of a convention,
Reaffirming the universality, indivisibility and interdependence of all human rights and fundamental freedoms and the need for persons with disabilities to be guaranteed their full enjoyment without discrimination,
Recognizing the positive steps taken by Governments, including continued collaboration at regional and international levels, in order to promote and protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities,
Encouraged by the increased support of the international community for the promotion and protection of the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities under a comprehensive and integral approach,
1. Requests the Commission for Social Development to continue to contribute to the process of negotiation of a draft convention by, inter alia, providing its views regarding a social development perspective, bearing in mind the experience in the implementation of the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities1 and the World Program of Action concerning Disabled Persons;2
2. Welcomes the contributions of the Special Rapporteur on Disability of the Commission for Social Development to the process of elaboration of a draft convention and requests the Rapporteur to further contribute to the work of the Ad Hoc Committee, drawing from her experience in the monitoring of the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities, by, inter alia, providing her views on elements to be considered in a convention;
3. Requests also the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, through its Division for Social Policy and Development, to continue to support the work of the Ad Hoc Committee, in collaboration with the Special Rapporteur and other relevant United Nations bodies and agencies, through, inter alia, the provision of information on issues related to a draft convention and the promotion of awareness of the work of the Ad Hoc Committee, within existing resources;
4. Underlines the importance of strengthening the cooperation and coordination between the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat in order to jointly support the work of the Ad Hoc Committee;
5. Invites bodies, organs and entities of the United Nations system, including the funds and programmes, particularly those working in the fields of social and economic development and human rights, within their respective mandates, as well as non-governmental organizations, national disability and human rights institutions, and independent experts with an interest in the matter, to continue to make available to the Ad Hoc Committee suggestions about elements to be considered in a draft convention;
6. Encourages the relevant bodies of the United Nations to continue to promote and support the active participation of civil society, including non-governmental organizations, in the work of the Ad Hoc Committee, in accordance with General Assembly resolutions 56/510 of 23 July 2002 and 57/229, and requests the Secretary-General to disseminate widely to non-governmental organizations all available information on accreditation procedures, modalities and supportive measures for their participation in the work of the Ad Hoc Committee;
8. Invites Governments, civil society and the private sector to contribute to the voluntary fund established by the General Assembly to support the participation of non-governmental organizations and experts from developing countries, in particular from the least developed countries, in the work of the Ad Hoc Committee;
9. Stresses the need for additional efforts to ensure accessibility with reasonable accommodation regarding facilities and documentation at the United Nations for all persons with disabilities, in accordance with General Assembly decision 56/474 of 23 July 2002;
10. Requests the Secretary General and the Special Rapporteur to report, as part of their presentations to the Commission for Social Development at its forty-third session, on the implementation of the present resolution.
1: General Assembly resolution 48/96, annex.
2: A/37/351/Add.1 and Corr.1, annex, sect. VIII,
recommendation I (IV).