UN Human Rights Treaties

United Nations A/AC.265/2003/L.3
General Assembly Distr.: Limited
19 June 2003
Original: English
03-40249 (E) 200603
*0340249*
Ad Hoc Committee on a Comprehensive and Integral
International Convention on the Protection and
Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons
with Disabilities
Second session
New York, 16-27 June 2003
Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France,
Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands,
Poland, Portugal, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,
Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden: draft resolution
The Ad Hoc Committee on a Comprehensive and Integral International
Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons
with Disabilities,
Recommends to the General Assembly the adoption of the following draft
resolution:
“The General Assembly,
“Recalling its resolutions 56/168 of 19 December 2001 and 57/229 of 18
December 2002,
“Noting with interest Commission on Human Rights resolution 2003/491
and draft resolution II recommended by the Commission for Social
Development at its forty-first session for adoption by the Economic and Social
Council,2
“Reaffirming the universality of all human rights and the need for persons
with disabilities to be guaranteed the full enjoyment of those rights without
discrimination,
“Convinced therefore that it is desirable to adopt an international
convention to promote and protect the rights of persons with disabilities,
“1. Decides that an international convention on the promotion and
protection of the rights of persons with disabilities should be elaborated;
__________________
1 See E/2003/23 (Part I), chap. II, sect. A.
2 Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 2003, Supplement No. 6 (E/2003/46),
chap. I, sect. B.

A/AC.265/2003/L.3
“2. Also decides that the Ad Hoc Committee, established in its
resolution 56/168, shall be responsible for the elaboration of a draft
international convention;
“3. Further decides to establish a group of fifteen experts competent in
the field of human rights and/or disabilities, serving in their personal capacity,
with the aim of presenting a proposal for a convention to the Ad Hoc
Committee at its third session;
“4. Requests the Secretary-General, in this regard, to appoint the
experts, in close consultation with the Bureau of the Ad Hoc Committee, no
later than one month after the adoption of the present resolution, with due
regard to the principle of equitable geographical distribution, and to draw the
experts from among governmental and other experts;
“5. Also requests the Secretary-General to submit a report drawing on
the second session of the Ad Hoc Committee to the group of experts, reflecting
views on proposals for a convention submitted to the Secretary-General
pursuant to General Assembly resolution 57/229 by Governments,
intergovernmental organizations, United Nations bodies and other
stakeholders, as well as a summary of the discussions held during the second
session of the Ad Hoc Committee;
“6. Invites Governments, intergovernmental organizations, United
Nations bodies and other stakeholders to submit to the expert group, through
the Secretary-General, any further information or contribution that could assist
the group in its work;
“7. Decides that the Ad Hoc Committee shall convene its third session
during 2004 for ten working days before the end of the fifty-eighth session of
the General Assembly;
“8. Requests the Ad Hoc Committee to begin consideration at its third
session of the draft convention drawn up by the expert group.”