NGO Participation Information Note

High Level Midpoint Review of the Asian/Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 19-21 September 2007, Bangkok, Thailand

Those non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which are in ECOSOC Consultative Status, ECOSOC Roster and/or NGOs Accredited to 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, and are active in the field of disability in the Asia Pacific region as well as in the implementation of the Biwako Millennium Framework for Action towards an Inclusive, Barrier-free and Rights-based Society for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific (BMF), are invited to attend the High-Level Intergovernmental Meeting on the Mid-Point Review of the Asian Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 2003-2012 to be held from 19-21 September 2007 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Due to the intergovernmental nature of the meeting, active participation of non-governmental organizations therein, while welcome, does not entail a negotiating role. However, since the NGOs have played a crucial role in the drafting and promotion of the BMF and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the secretariat would be pleased to invite brief statements under the agenda items 4 and 5 of the Provisional Agenda following the address by the Governments and UN agencies, subject to the availability of time. The NGOs which would like to address the meeting are asked to submit a written request to the secretariat by 24 August 2007 under which agenda item of the meeting they would like to do so.

Those NGOs who do not have a consultative status or accreditation may consider attending as partners/members of the NGOs listed herein(http://www.worldenable.net/bmf5/ngolist.htm) or as part of their ministerial delegation.