UN Human Rights Treaties

United Nations A/56/L.82*
General Assembly Distr.: Limited
22 July 2002
Original: English
02-48585* (E) 220702
*0248585*
Fifty-sixth session
Agenda items 8 and 119 (b)
Adoption of the agenda and organization of work: reports
of the General Committee
Human rights questions: human rights questions, including
alternative approaches for improving the effective enjoyment
of human rights and fundamental freedoms
Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Mexico,
Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland: draft resolution**
Accreditation and participation of non-governmental
organizations in the Ad Hoc Committee on a Comprehensive and
Integral International Convention on Protection and Promotion of
the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities
The General Assembly,
Bearing in mind its resolution 56/168 of 19 December 2001, in which it
invited, inter alia, non-governmental organizations with an interest in the matter to
make contributions to the work of the Ad Hoc Committee on a Comprehensive and
Integral International Convention on Protection and Promotion of the Rights and
Dignity of Persons with Disabilities,
Welcoming the fact that the Commission on Human Rights in its resolution
2002/61 of 25 April 20021 encouraged the Ad Hoc Committee to adopt working
methods that would allow for full participation by relevant non-governmental
organizations in its deliberations,
* Reissued for technical reasons.
** In order for the General Assembly to take action on the present proposal, it will be necessary for
the Assembly to decide to consider directly, in plenary meeting, agenda item 119 (b).
1 See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 2002, Supplement No. 3 (E/2002/23),
chap. II, sect. A.

A/56/L.82
1. Decides that accreditation of non-governmental organizations to the
Ad Hoc Committee on a Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on
Protection and Promotion of 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. Also decides that other non-governmental organizations, not accredited
previously to the Ad Hoc Committee, may apply to the Secretariat for such
accreditation, and that 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 specified in paragraph 44 of Economic and Social Council
resolution 1996/31 of 25 July 1996; regarding those applications, it further decides
that:
(a) The Secretariat shall circulate to all States members of the Ad Hoc
Committee a list of new applications for accreditation received from nongovernmental
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 shall 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 the raising of an objection by a State member of the Ad Hoc
Committee shall be no later than seven days from receipt of each list;
(c) The Ad Hoc Committee at the beginning of each of its sessions shall
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
work of 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, in
participating in the work of 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 and that the modalities of this participation will be decided by the Ad
Hoc Committee during the first week of its first session;
6. Also decides that the above arrangements shall in no way create a
precedent for other ad hoc committees of the General Assembly.