A/HRC/35/38 relevant United Nations bodies, specialized agencies, funds and programmes, other intergovernmental organizations and national human rights institutions to give due consideration to them in the formulation and implementation of policies and measures concerning persons affected by leprosy and their family members. The Assembly also encouraged all relevant actors in society, including hospitals, schools, universities, religious groups and organizations, business enterprises, newspapers, broadcasting networks and NGOs, to give due consideration, as appropriate, to the principles and guidelines in the course of their activities. 9. In response to the Human Rights Council’s request in resolution 29/5, the Advisory Committee, at its fifteenth session in August 2015, established a drafting group composed of eight experts: Laurence Boisson de Chazournes, Laura-Maria Crăciunean-Tatu, Mario Luis Coriolano, Kaoru Obata, Ahmer Bilal Soofi, Yishan Zhang, Changrok Soh and Imeru Tamrat Yigezu. Xinsheng Liu and Obiora Chinedu Okafor joined the drafting group subsequently. The Chair of the group was Mr. Obata and the Rapporteur was Mr. Yigezu. 4 The Advisory Committee requested the drafting group to submit a preliminary report to it at its sixteenth session, taking into account the replies to the questionnaire that had been sent to States, national human rights institutions, international organizations, United Nations agencies, relevant treaty bodies and special procedures as well as international and national NGOs. 10. The Advisory Committee took note of the drafting group’s preliminary report at its sixteenth session in February 2016, and requested the drafting group to recirculate the questionnaire to stakeholders who had not responded, in order to allow for more informed work. It stated that additional replies from States and national human rights institutions were especially welcome. The Advisory Committee also requested the drafting group to submit a progress report to it at its seventeenth session. 11. At its seventeenth session, the Advisory Committee took note of the progress report submitted by the drafting group and requested it to submit the draft final report at its eighteenth session, with a view to submitting the final report to the Human Rights Council at its thirty-fifth session. 12. A total of 57 responses to the questionnaire were received from 12 States, 9 national human rights institutions, 1 international organization and 35 international and national NGOs. 5 No responses were received from special procedures and treaty bodies. The 4 5 The drafting group would like to thank Nathaniel Melaku, Faculty of Law, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, Izevbuwa Ikhimiukor, Osgoode Law School, York University, Toronto, Canada, and Yozo Yokota, Director, Center for Human Rights Affairs, Japan, for their valuable research input to the study. It also thanks the Nippon Foundation for facilitating the gathering of crucial information and its continued support during the preparation of the report; the International Federation of Anti-Leprosy Associations for facilitating responses from national associations of persons affected by leprosy and for providing inputs to the study; and, in particular, Yohei Saskawa, Chair of the Nippon Foundation and WHO Goodwill Ambassador for the elimination of leprosy and ending stigma and discrimination against persons affected by leprosy who, from the outset, initiated action on the issue within the international human rights mechanisms. Responses were received from Bahrain, Brazil, Chile, El Salvador, Estonia, Japan, Montenegro, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, the United States of America and Viet Nam; the national human rights institutions of Algeria, Denmark, Egypt, India, Montenegro, Rwanda, Serbia, the United Republic of Tanzania and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of); as well as World Health Organization, Nippon Foundation, Sasakawa Memorial Health Foundation, International Association for Integration, Dignity and Economic Advancement (IDEA), IDEA-India, The Leprosy Mission InternationalBangladesh, The Leprosy Mission-Netherlands, Netherlands Leprosy Relief-Brazil, Movement for the Reintegration of Persons Affected by Hansen’s Disease (MORHAN) (Brazil), Social Corporation for the Rehabilitation of Persons Affected by Hansen’s Disease and their Family (CORSOHANSEN) (Colombia), Federation of Associations of Persons Affected by Hansen’s Disease (FELAHANSEN) (Colombia), Ethiopian National Association of Persons Affected by Leprosy (ENAPAL) (Ethiopia), Fondation Kalipa pour le développement (FOKAD) (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Gerakan Peduli Disabilities and Lepra Indonesis (GPDL) (Indonesia), FAIRMED Foundation (Sri Lanka), Zen-Ryo-Kyo National Hansen’s Disease Sanatoria Residents’ Association (Japan), HANDA Rehabilitation and Welfare Association (China), The Leprosy Mission-Myanmar, Fontilles-India, Lepra-Bangladesh, Fontilles-Nicaragua, The Leprosy Mission-Niger, The Leprosy Mission-Nepal, Lepra Society-India, International Federation of Anti-Leprosy Associations (ILEP) (India), 3