UN Human Rights Treaties

United Nations A/RES/58/246
General Assembly Distr.: General
11 March 2004
Fifty-eighth session
Agenda item 117 (b)
03 50928
Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 23 December 2003
[on the report of the Third Committee (A/58/508/Add.2)]
58/246. Ad Hoc Committee on a Comprehensive and Integral
International Convention on the Protection and
Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons
with Disabilities
The General Assembly,
Recalling its resolution 56/168 of 19 December 2001, by which it decided to
establish an Ad Hoc Committee open to the participation of all Member States and
observers to the United Nations, to consider proposals for a comprehensive and
integral international convention to promote and protect the rights and dignity of
persons with disabilities, based on a holistic approach in the work done in the fields
of social development, human rights and non-discrimination and taking into account
the recommendations of the Commission on Human Rights and the Commission for
Social Development,
Recalling also its resolution 57/229 of 18 December 2002, as well as relevant
resolutions of the Commission for Social Development and the Commission on
Human Rights,
Reaffirming the universality, indivisibility and interdependence of all human
rights and fundamental freedoms and the need for persons with disabilities to be
guaranteed their full enjoyment without discrimination,
Convinced of the contribution that a convention can make in this regard,
Encouraging Member States and observers to participate actively in the
Ad Hoc Committee in order to present to the General Assembly, as a matter of
priority, a draft text of a convention,
Stressing the importance of the active participation of intergovernmental and
non-governmental organizations and national human rights institutions in the work
of the Ad Hoc Committee, and their valuable contribution to the promotion of the
full enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by persons with
disabilities,
Recognizing the important contributions made thus far to the Ad Hoc
Committee by all stakeholders,

A/RES/58/246
1. Welcomes the report of 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;1
2. Requests the Secretary-General to transmit the report of the Ad Hoc
Committee to the Commission for Social Development at its forty-second session
and to the Commission on Human Rights at its sixtieth session, and further requests
both Commissions to continue to contribute to the work of the Ad Hoc Committee;
3. Endorses the decision of the Ad Hoc Committee to establish a Working
Group with the aim of preparing and presenting a draft text, which would be the
basis for negotiations on the draft convention in the Ad Hoc Committee, taking into
account all contributions;2
4. Notes that the Working Group will present the outcome of its work on a
draft text to the Ad Hoc Committee at the third session of the Committee;
5. Decides that the Ad Hoc Committee shall start the negotiations on a draft
convention at its third session;
6. Decides also that the Ad Hoc Committee shall hold, within existing
resources, two sessions in 2004 of ten working days each, prior to the fifty-ninth
session of the General Assembly;
7. Underlines the importance of strengthening the cooperation and
coordination between the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights and the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the Secretariat
in order to support jointly the work of the Ad Hoc Committee;
8. Urges that further efforts be made to ensure the active participation of
non-governmental organizations in the Ad Hoc Committee, in accordance with
General Assembly resolution 56/510 of 23 July 2002 and based on the decision of
the Ad Hoc Committee on the modalities for the participation of non-governmental
organizations in its work;
9. Stresses the need for additional efforts to ensure accessibility at the
United Nations, with reasonable accommodation regarding facilities and
documentation, for all persons with disabilities, in accordance with General
Assembly decision 56/474 of 23 July 2002;
10. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to provide the Ad Hoc
Committee with the facilities necessary for the performance of its work;
11. Encourages Member States to continue to include in their delegations to
the meetings of the Ad Hoc Committee persons with disabilities and/or other experts
in the field;
12. Urges Member States, observers, civil society and the private sector to
contribute to the voluntary fund established pursuant to its resolution 57/229 to
support the participation of non-governmental organizations and experts from
developing countries, in particular least developed countries, in the work of the
Ad Hoc Committee;
_______________
1 See A/58/118 and Corr.1.
2 See A/58/118, para. 15.

A/RES/58/246

13. Requests the Secretary-General to transmit a comprehensive report of the
Ad Hoc Committee to the General Assembly at its fifty-ninth session and to report
on the implementation of paragraphs 7, 8 and 9 of the present resolution.
79th plenary meeting
23 December 2003