A/HRC/31/62 84. Persons with disabilities can participate in legislative processes in different ways. In many countries, citizens have the right to propose legislative initiatives, referendums and petitions, without the endorsement of political parties or State authorities. States must ensure that these direct democracy procedures are fully accessible for persons with disabilities. 85. While the legislative process may vary from country to country, legislatures should guarantee the participation of persons with disabilities throughout the entire process, including in deliberative assemblies or chambers that debate and vote on draft laws concerning issues relating to persons with disabilities. National legislatures should establish specific provisions in their rules of procedure to enable the participation of representative organizations of persons with disabilities in advisory groups and legislative committees, as well as in public hearings and online consultations. The accessibility of facilities and procedures must also be guaranteed. 2. Budgeting 86. The right of persons with disabilities to participate in public decision-making also covers public budgeting processes. Representative organizations of persons with disabilities can play an important role in public budgeting, by providing critical information on the concerns, needs and priorities of persons with disabilities. The participation of persons with disabilities and their representative organizations in public budgets ensures that resources are allocated to priority areas, and that bodies implementing mainstream and disabilityspecific policies and programmes are held accountable for their performance. 87. States are increasingly introducing participatory budgeting mechanisms, which enable citizens to influence the allocation of public resources through direct discussions and negotiations with authorities. Although participatory budget processes are a valuable opportunity for persons with disabilities to make States more responsive to their needs and preferences, their effectiveness depends upon the provision of accessibility and capacitybuilding. 88. Contributions to the present report have illustrated that persons with disabilities and their representative organizations are generally excluded from public budgeting processes. Inadequate resource allocation and inadequate identification of priority areas, including for funding participatory mechanisms and for representative organizations of persons with disabilities, are of concern. States must therefore adopt a framework that facilitates the participation of persons with disabilities and their representative organizations at all stages of the budgeting process. 3. National implementation and monitoring 89. Article 33 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities requires States to designate one or more government focal points and to consider the establishment of a coordination mechanism to advance and facilitate the implementation of the treaty at all levels. States are also required to establish an independent mechanism to monitor the implementation of the Convention. Involvement and full participation by persons with disabilities and their representative organizations is required not only in the monitoring process but in all the provisions within article 33.48 90. Consequently, the establishment of any national framework for the implementation or monitoring of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities must include persons with disabilities through their organizations. These frameworks must be operated in 48 20 See A/HRC/13/29, para. 70.