78 ... ... ... ... .. REVIEW OF LAWS, IMPLEMENTATION OF TREATIES AND OTHER INTERNATIONAL INSTRUMENTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS F] Towards a New International Convention 5.29 In December 2001, the United Nations General Assembly in its resolution 56/168, recognized that Governments, UN bodies and NGOs had not been successful in promoting full and effective participation and opportunities for persons with disabilities in economic, social, cultural and political life. Expressing its deep concern "about the disadvantages faced by 600 million disabled around the world", the General Assembly called for the establishment of an Ad Hoc Committee to consider proposals for a "Comprehensive and Integral International Convention taking into account the recommendations of the Commission on Human Rights and the Commission for Social Development". The Ad Hoc Committee met subsequently and, for its part, invited National Institutions, among others, to participate in the discussions on this subject. 5.30 It was in this context that the Seventh Meeting of the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions (APF) was held in New Delhi between 11 - 13 November 2002. In that meeting, Forum Members agreed to respond positively to the invitation of the United Nations Ad Hoc Committee to participate independently and in their own capacity in the development of a possible new convention. In December 2002, through its resolution A/RES/57/ 229, the United Nations General Assembly endorsed the invitation of the Ad Hoc Committee to National Institutions to participate in the consideration of this matter, making this the first instance in the history of the United Nations in which National Institutions have been involved in the treaty-making process of a human rights convention. 5.31 This Commission is firmly of the opinion that a coherent and integrated human rights approach to disability cannot be developed under the present treaty system and that a comprehensive convention is required to give status, authority and visibility to disability issues within a human rights framework. In the view of the Commission, a single comprehensive treaty would enable the State parties to understand their obligations in clear terms and give both States and civil society a clear objective, viz., the furtherance and fulfillment of the rights of the disabled in a holistic manner. In taking this view, the Commission has been mindful of contemporary international law which recognizes that all States have a duty, under Article 56 of the Charter of the United Nations, to ensure respect for and to observe human rights, including the incorporation of human rights standards in their national legislation. More importantly, the Commission has been guided by the provisions of Article 51(c) of the Constitution which, assert, as a Directive Principle, that the State shall N AT I O N A L H U M A N R I G H T S C O M M I S S I O N