A/HRC/4/75 page 13 ensure, to the fullest extent possible, the participation of persons with disabilities and their representative organizations in decision-making, in particular through consultation. Similarly, development programmes should be non-discriminatory and should promote equality between men and women. Further, development programmes should be subject to monitoring and evaluation, including through the mechanisms established under the Convention, so that persons with disabilities have recourse to arbitration where a development programme risks breaching a right recognized in the Convention. Finally, and significantly, the Convention seeks to mainstream human rights and disability within existing development programming. For example, the preamble, in paragraph (g) recognizes the importance of mainstreaming disability issues as an integral part of relevant strategies of sustainable development. Thus, while the introduction of specific rights-based development programming related to disability will be important to promote implementation of the Convention, it will also be crucial to start mainstreaming human rights and disability into broader development programming which has, in the past, sometimes tended to neglect disability. 41. Third, the Convention recognizes the importance of international cooperation and its promotion to support national efforts on implementation of the Convention. The Convention promotes international cooperation measures such as: the inclusion of persons with disabilities in international development programmes; supporting capacity-building and exchange of information; facilitating research and access to knowledge; and, providing technical and economic assistance. The Convention establishes a Conference of States parties and the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Importantly, article 32 on international cooperation encourages international development programmes to be “inclusive of and accessible to persons with disabilities”. Thus, for example, a development programme not specifically related to persons with disabilities - the construction of a school, the improvement of public transportation, the enhancement of sanitation services - should also consider the rights of persons with disabilities in its design and implementation so that the results of the development programme are accessible to persons with disabilities. Some cross-cutting issues 42. It is also relevant to highlight some of the cross-cutting issues relevant to the enjoyment of the rights of persons with disabilities through the Convention. 43. Women with disabilities: The Convention recognizes the fact that women with disabilities often face multiple forms of discrimination and a specific article is devoted to “Women with disabilities” (art. 6). The article recognizes that women and girls with disabilities are subject to multiple forms of discrimination and requires States parties to take measures to ensure full development, advancement and empowerment of women for the purpose of guaranteeing the exercise and enjoyment of their rights. This recognition also appears in the preamble, paragraph (q) which recognizes that women and girls with disabilities are often at greater risk, both within and outside the home, of violence, injury, or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation. To this end, preambular paragraph (s) emphasizes the need to incorporate a gender perspective in all efforts to promote the enjoyment of the rights of persons with disabilities.

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