UN Human Rights Treaties

United Nations E/CN.5/2002/L.4
Economic and Social Council Distr.: Limited
15 February 2002
Original: English
02-25528 (E) 150202
*0225528*
Commission for Social Development
Fortieth session
11-21 February 2002
Agenda item 3 (b) (ii)
Follow-up to the World Summit for Social Development and
the twenty-fourth special of the General Assembly: review of
relevant United Nations plans and programmes of action
pertaining to the situation of social groups: report on the
Third Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Disability
Austria, Belgium,* Denmark, Finland,* France, Germany, Ireland,* Italy,
Luxembourg,* Netherlands,* Portugal,* Spain, Sweden and United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Northern Ireland:* draft resolution
The Commission for Social Development recommends to the Economic and
Social Council the adoption of the following draft resolution:
Further promotion of equalization of opportunities by, for and with persons with
disabilities, and protection of the human rights of persons with disabilities
The Economic and Social Council,
Recalling General Assembly resolutions 37/52 of 3 December 1982, by which
it adopted the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons,1 48/96 of
20 December 1993, by which it adopted the Standard Rules on the Equalization of
Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities, and 56/115 of 19 December 2001,
Recalling also Economic and Social Council resolution 2000/10 of 27 July
2000 on equalization of opportunities for persons with disabilities and Commission
on Human Rights resolution 2000/51 of 25 April 2000 on the human rights of
persons with disabilities,2 and other relevant resolutions of the General Assembly,
the Economic and Social Council and its functional commissions,
__________________
* In accordance with rule 69 of the rules of procedure of the functional commissions of the
Economic and Social Council.
1 A/37/351/Add.1 and Corr.1, annex, sect. VIII, recommendation I (IV).
2 See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 2000, Supplement No. 3 (E/2000/23),
chap. II, sect. A.

E/CN.5/2002/L.4
Recalling further general comment No. 5 of the Committee on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights on persons with disabilities of 25 November 1994,3
Recalling the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and
reaffirming the obligations contained in relevant human rights instruments,
Mindful of the important role played by the Convention on the Elimination of
All Forms of Discrimination against Women4 and the Convention on the Rights of
the Child,5
Recalling General Assembly resolution 56/168 of 19 December 2001, by
which it decided to establish an Ad Hoc Committee to consider proposals for a
comprehensive and integral international convention to protect and promote the
rights and dignity of persons with disabilities,
Recalling the Commission on Human Rights resolution 2000/51, in which it
requested a study on the adequacy of instruments in respect of the protection and
monitoring of the human rights of persons with disabilities,
Welcoming the cooperation between the Commission on Human Rights and the
Special Rapporteur on Disability of the Commission for Social Development in
sharing experiences and knowledge,
Noting with grave concern that persons with disabilities in some circumstances
are among the poorest of the poor and continue to be excluded from the benefits of
development, such as education and access to gainful employment,
Mindful of the need to adopt and implement effective strategies and policies to
promote the rights and the full and effective participation of persons with disabilities
in economic, social, cultural and political life, on the basis of equality, in order to
achieve a society for all,
Noting with satisfaction that the Standard Rules play an increasingly important
role in the equalization of opportunities for persons with disabilities and that the
issue of human rights and dignity of persons with disabilities is being addressed and
promoted in an increasing number of forums,
Appreciating the active role played by non-governmental organizations,
including organizations of persons with disabilities, in cooperation with
Governments and relevant intergovernmental bodies and organizations, to promote
awareness and support implementation and evaluation of the Standard Rules at the
national, regional and international levels,
1. Welcomes the work of the Special Rapporteur on Disability of the
Commission for Social Development, takes note with appreciation of his third
periodic report, including the elaboration of recommendations for future action and
supports his proposals of mainstreaming disabilities issues;6
2. Takes note with appreciation of the important efforts of Governments as
well as non-governmental organizations and academic institutions during the
missions of the Special Rapporteur to build capacities to implement the Standard
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3 Ibid., 1995, Supplement No. 2 (E/1995/22), annex IV.
4 General Assembly resolution 34/180, annex.
5 General Assembly resolution 44/25, annex.
6 E/CN.5/2002/4.

E/CN.5/2002/L.4
Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities at the
national, regional and interregional levels;
3. Welcomes the many initiatives and actions of Governments, relevant
United Nations bodies and organizations, including the Bretton Woods institutions,
as well as non-governmental organizations to implement further the goal of full
participation and equality for persons with disabilities in accordance with the
Standard Rules;
4. Urges Governments, intergovernmental organizations and nongovernmental
organizations to take practical action to create greater awareness and
support for the further implementation of the Standard Rules, to suggest measures
for the further promotion and protection of the human rights of persons with
disabilities, to improve cooperation within the United Nations system in the field of
disability and to find forms for future monitoring of the Standard Rules;
5. Urges Governments to ensure that persons with disabilities have the same
access to education, health, employment, social services, housing, public transport
and information;
6. Invites multilateral development agencies, in the light of the Standard
Rules, to pay due attention to disability-related human rights issues in connection
with the projects they fund;
7. Requests the Secretary-General to strengthen and improve mechanisms
for consultation, the exchange of information and coordination, as appropriate, and
active participation of the relevant United Nations bodies, specialized agencies and
related organizations to further implement the Standard Rules;
8. Invites the relevant bodies and organizations of the United Nations
system, including relevant human rights treaty bodies within the respective
mandates, and urges the regional commissions, intergovernmental organizations, and
non-governmental organizations to work closely with the United Nations
Programme on persons with disabilities to promote the rights of persons with
disabilities, including activities at the field level, by sharing knowledge,
experiences, findings and recommendations concerning persons with disabilities;
9. Encourages the United Nations system, the Bretton Woods institutions
and Governments to enhance cooperation with organizations of persons with
disabilities or concerned with disabilities issues so as to implement the Standard
Rules in an effective and coordinated manner;
10. Encourages States parties to the relevant treaty bodies to include in their
reports specific information on persons with disabilities to ensure that the human
rights of persons with disabilities are appropriately addressed; general comment
No. 5 of the Committee on the Economic Social and Cultural Rights could serve as a
mainstreaming model on disability issues;
11. Decides to renew the mandate for the Special Rapporteur for a period
through the year 2005 to further the promotion and monitoring of the Standard Rules
in accordance with the provisions set down in section 4 of the Standard Rules,
including the human rights dimensions of disability, and to submit to the
Commission on Human Rights the report of the Special Rapporteur and the
considerations of the Commission for Social Development thereon;

E/CN.5/2002/L.4
12. Requests the Secretary-General to seek the views of Member States on
the proposals in the report of the Special Rapporteur, especially on the suggested
supplement to the Standard Rules, and to submit a substantive report to the
Commission at its forty-second session;
13. Recommends that the Ad Hoc Committee, set up by the General
Assembly in its resolution 56/168 consider ways to ensure the continued use,
promotion and monitoring of the Standard Rules, to study existing human rights
instruments and to reflect on how they can be strengthened, to consider the
elaboration of a convention taking into account the relationship with the Standard
Rules and in so doing to carefully study the report and proposals made by the
Special Rapporteur at the fortieth session of the Commission for Social
Development6 and the study commissioned by Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights, as well as the views of the Member States, the
international organizations and the non-governmental organizations on these
proposals;
14. Encourages Governments, relevant United Nations bodies and
organizations, including the Bretton Woods institutions, as well as nongovernmental
organizations to take active part in the work of the Ad Hoc
Committee;
15. Also encourages Governments, as well as non-governmental
organizations and the private sector, to continue to contribute to the United Nations
Voluntary Fund on Disability in order to support the activities of the Special
Rapporteur as well as new and expanded initiatives to strengthen national capacities
for equalization of opportunities by, for and with persons with disabilities.