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A/56/L.82

United Nations General Assembly Fifty-sixth session
Agenda 119 (b)
Adoption of the agenda and organization of work
Human rights questions: human rights questions, including alternative approaches for improving the effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms

Accreditation and participation of non-governmental organizations in the Ad Hoc Committee established to Consider Proposals for a Comprehensive and Integral International Convention to Promote and Protect the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities

The General Assembly,

Bearing in mind its resolution 56/168 of 19 December 2001, in which the Assembly invites, inter alia, non-governmental organizations with an interest in the matter to make contributions to the work of the Ad Hoc Committee established to consider proposals for a comprehensive and integral international convention to promote and protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities,

Welcoming that the Commission on Human Rights in its resolution 2002/61 encourages the Ad Hoc Committee to adopt working methods which allow for full participation by relevant non-governmental organizations in its deliberations,

1. Decides that accreditation of non-governmental organizations to the Ad Hoc Committee to consider proposals for a comprehensive and integral international convention to promote and protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities shall be granted to all non-governmental organizations enjoying consultative status with the Economic and Social Council;

2. Further decides that other non-governmental organizations, not accredited previously to the Ad Hoc Committee, may apply to the Secretariat for such accreditation. The applications should contain all the information on the competence of the organization and the relevance of its activities to the work of the Ad Hoc Committee listed in paragraph 44 of Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/31. Regarding these applications, it further decides that:

(a) The Secretariat will circulate to all States members of the Ad Hoc Committee a list of new applications for accreditation received from non-governmental organizations no less than four weeks prior to each session of the Ad Hoc Committee, except for its first session, for which the Committee will consider applications received up to the beginning of and during the session;

(b) Accreditation will be granted in advance of the session in accordance with the procedures and time limits set out in paragraph 46 of resolution 1996/31, on a non-objection basis, except for the first session of the Ad Hoc Committee, for which the time limit for a State member of the Ad Hoc Committee for raising an objection is no later than seven days from receipt of each list;

(c) The Ad Hoc Committee at the beginning of each of its sessions will consider and take decisions on new applications against which a State member of the Ad Hoc Committee has raised an objection;

3. Urges relevant United Nations bodies, in recognition of the importance of the equitable geographical participation of non-governmental organizations in the Ad Hoc Committee to assist those non-governmental organizations that lack resources, in particular non-governmental organizations interested in the matter from developing countries and countries with economies in transition, to participate in the Ad Hoc Committee;

4. Requests the Secretary-General to disseminate widely to the community of non-governmental organizations all available information on accreditation procedures as well as information on supportive measures for participation in the Ad Hoc Committee;

5. Decides that representatives from non-governmental organizations accredited to the Ad Hoc Committee may participate in the work of the Ad Hoc Committee. The modalities of this participation will be decided by the Ad Hoc Committee during the first week of its first session;

6. Decides that the above arrangements will in no way create a precedent for other Ad Hoc Committees of the General Assembly.

23 July 2002

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