A/HRC/31/62 the effective participation of persons with disabilities.35 Funding stability is essential to ensure effective and sustainable work programmes, enabling organizations to grow internally. Any registered or unregistered organization should be able to seek and secure funds and resources from domestic and international donors, including private individuals, private companies, CSOs, States and international organizations.36 52. Securing sustainable funding is one of the main challenges faced by representative organizations of persons with disabilities. Contributions to the present report illustrate that some States have established temporary or permanent funds to support the functioning of these representative organizations as well as the participation of persons with disabilities in various decision-making processes. While those schemes are important for the sustainability of representative organizations, the broad discretion of State authorities to allocate resources is of concern, as it may affect the independence and autonomy of organizations. Moreover, it is worrisome that in some cases, State funds are only intended for the provision of services, which limits the funding opportunities for existing and potential organizations focusing primarily on advocacy. 53. When organizations are unable to access domestic funds to support their activities, due either to a lack of or the limited availability of government funding, or a lack of interest by the private sector, they often rely on external sources. In such cases, donors’ preferences for funding activities rather than core institutional functions, as well as their sometimes narrow agendas, can prevent representative organizations of persons with disabilities from establishing a viable organizational structure. Such trends have an impact on organizations’ long-term planning and engagement in a given area. 37 Furthermore, the lack of a financial or funding history prevents many grass-roots organizations from applying for any type of funding. 54. The recommendation formulated by the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to increase the public resources available for representative organizations of persons with disabilities, including those representing children with disabilities, should be implemented to enable them to fulfil their role under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.38 States should not only economically support the establishment and strengthening of organizations of persons with disabilities,39 but also allow them to access foreign funding as a part of international cooperation, which CSOs are also entitled to benefit from.40 6. Strategic alliances 55. The building of networks, coalitions and strategic alliances is critical, as representative organizations of persons with disabilities cannot build inclusive societies in isolation. Networking and coalition-building are essential instruments for increasing collective influence, in terms of both organizational and advocacy capacity. They also facilitate exchanges of information, experiences and good practices, thereby enhancing chances for successful advocacy and contributing to pluralism and compromise. 35 36 37 38 39 40 14 See A/HRC/20/27, para. 68. Ibid. East African Community, Draft EAC civil society mobilization strategy (2010), p. 24. See CRPD/C/GAB/CO/1, para. 9; CRPD/C/KEN/CO/1, para. 8; CRPD/C/AUS/CO/1, para. 13; and CRPD/C/HUN/CO/1, para. 14. Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities, rule 18. See A/59/401, para. 82.