Back to: Documents of the Fifth Session

Ad Hoc Committee on a Comprehensive and Integral
International Convention on the Protection and Promotion
of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities
Fifth session

New York, 24 January – 4 February 2005

*** Advance, Unedited Text ***

Provisional Agenda

1. Opening of the session.

2. Adoption of the agenda.

3. Organization of work.

4. Consideration of the proposed revisions and amendments to the draft text of the Working Group as contained in the reports of the Ad Hoc Committee on its third session (A/AC.265/2004/5, annex II) and fourth session (A/59/360, annex IV), and in proposals received by the Secretariat from the fourth session.^*

5. Conclusions of the Ad Hoc Committee at its fifth session.

6. Adoption of the report of the Ad Hoc Committee on its fifth session.

*** Advance, Unedited Text ***

Proposed organization of work

Monday, 24 January

10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

1. Opening of the session
2. Adoption of the agenda
3. Organization of Work
4. Consideration of the proposed revisions and amendments to the draft text of the Working Group as contained in the reports of the Ad Hoc Committee on its third session (A/AC.265/2004/5, annex II) and fourth session (A/59/360, annex IV), and in proposals received by the Secretariat from the fourth session

• Informal consultations on draft articles 1-15 and 24 bis
• Review of draft articles 16-25 and proposed additional articles.

3 - 6 p.m.

(continued)

Tuesday, 25 January

10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

(continued)

3 - 6 p.m.

(continued)

Wednesday, 26 January

10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

(continued)

3 - 6 p.m.

(continued)

Thursday, 27 January

10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

(continued)

3 - 6 p.m.

(continued)

Friday, 28 January

10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

(continued)

3 - 6 p.m.

(continued)

Monday, 31 January

10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

(continued)

3 - 6 p.m.

(continued)

Tuesday, 1 February

10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

(continued)

3 - 6 p.m.

(continued)

Wednesday, 2 February

10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

(continued)

3 - 6 p.m.

(continued)

Thursday, 3 February

10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

(continued)

3 - 6 p.m.

(continued)

Friday, 4 February

10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

(continued)

3 - 6 p.m.

5. Conclusions of the Ad Hoc Committee at its fifth session.
6. Adoption of the report of the Ad Hoc Committee on its fifth session.

Note:

Statement by the Chairman on the organization of work
at the fourth session (A/59/360, annex 3)

1. Following extensive consultations, this is the Chairman’s proposal on the organization of work for the fourth session.

2. The first week would be divided into two stages:

• The first one and a half days we would hold a formal plenary meeting to complete the first reading of the text.

• The next three and a half days we would continue the plenary meeting, with the usual methods of work and the participation of intergovernmental organizations, NGOs and national human rights institutions. The meetings would be the formal opportunity for both States and observers, including NGOs and national human rights institutions, to make comments and observations on the proposals that were made during the first reading to articles 1-15 and 24 bis. The Chair would use this meeting to gauge the level of support those proposals received, so that he can identify proposals that attract widespread agreement and those on which opinion is divided.

3. Upon completion, the Chair would adjourn the plenary meeting and invite the Coordinator to conduct informal consultations so that negotiations on articles 1-15 and 24 bis could begin. The informal consultations would operate under the following guidelines.

4. The informal consultations would be held in room 4 under the guidance of the Coordinator. It would be left to his discretion, on consultation with the meeting, how much time to devote to each article and whether to cluster articles together.

5. Intergovernmental organizations, NGOs and national human rights institutions are invited to be present.

6. The Coordinator would aim to make as much progress as possible in that setting. For difficult issues, he may request the individual facilitators who have been appointed to hold smaller informal meetings on those specific issues.

7. The smaller informal meetings would operate under the same guidelines and would report back to the Coordinator.

8. There would be no parallel meetings of the smaller informals and the main informal.

9. Closed meetings may be required at some point.

10. The Coordinator would report back to the Chair in a formal plenary meeting on Friday, 3 September.

11. The present proposal is made on the understanding that articles [16]-25 would be treated in the same manner at the next session of the Ad Hoc Committee.

Note:

Report of the Coordinator to the fourth session of the
Ad Hoc Committee (A/59/360, annex IV)

I. Introduction

1. On 24 August, the Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee invited Ambassador Don MacKay (New Zealand) to coordinate informal discussions on the text of a draft convention. The Chair read a statement outlining the methodology for holding informal discussions (see annex III).

2. Informal meetings were held from 30 August to 3 September. Draft articles 4, 5, 6, and 7 were discussed.
3. Discussions were held with the aim of clearing up as many of the issues concerning the draft articles as possible. Where agreement was reached, it was on the understanding that it was without prejudice to delegations’ ability to reconsider the draft articles under discussion at a later stage.

4. The text of draft articles 4 to 7 as they stand at the end of the meeting will be posted on the United Nations Enable web site for the consideration of delegations intersessionally.

5. Discussion of the titles of the draft articles was deferred until a later date, pending agreement on whether they should remain in the final text or exist merely as working titles to facilitate negotiations.

6. In order to maintain the momentum of the informal discussions, the Coordinator recommended that informal discussions on draft articles 1 to 15 continue at the next session of the Ad Hoc Committee.

Footnotes:

* In accordance with provisions contained in Annex 3 of A/59/360. The work schedule of the fifth session may be adjusted to the progress of the Ad Hoc Committee in its consideration of the draft articles.