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ADHOC COMMITTEE ON
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Mr. Chairman,
As pointed out in previous statements, the European Union is firmly of the view that a convention on the rights of persons with disabilities should be a balanced, realistic and effective instrument.
Responsibility for implementing any international binding legal instrument naturally rests with the States Parties thereto. This will also hold true for the future convention under discussion. Nevertheless, we know from our experience with other human rights treaties that monitoring mechanisms play a very useful role by assisting States in the fulfilment of their relevant obligations.
The European Union therefore considers it is essential that a future convention on the rights of persons with disabilities should provide for effective monitoring. While it is premature to express at this stage a preference for any specific monitoring mechanism and to discuss its mandate in detail, we do believe that any such mechanism should play an important role in ensuring effective implementation and aim at assisting states in raising levels of understanding of the relevant obligations as well as in the transfer of good practice.
Once we reach the stage of considering possible monitoring mechanisms, the EU believes that appropriate provisions should be made for input by persons with disabilities. In considering the type of monitoring provisions, the report of the Secretary-General on the strengthening of the UN - "An Agenda for further change", as well as its follow-up, should be fully taken into account.
Finally, we would like to emphasise that, in considering the issue of monitoring and evaluation, it is of importance to take into account the ongoing work carried out with a view to rationalising and streamlining the human rights machinery in order to avoid duplication and to promote efficiency.
20 June 2003