58 PROMOTING AND PROTECTING MINORITY RIGHTS • The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights allocates the afternoon of the first day of each session to hearing NGOs. NGOs may also speak during part of the Committee’s pre-session meetings. In 2000, the Committee adopted a paper on NGO participation which outlines how NGOs can best contribute to the Committee’s work.59 • The Committee on the Rights of the Child accepts written information and may invite NGOs to participate in its pre-session working group. NGOs may attend but not participate in the Committee’s formal sessions in which public discussion with State representatives occurs. An informal NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child helps coordinate NGO participation in Committee sessions and has prepared a useful guide for participants.60 • The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women schedules an informal meeting with NGOs on the first two Mondays of each session, for the purpose of receiving country-specific information on States parties whose reports will be before the Committee at that session.61 • Although practice of its oversight Committee is not yet fully developed, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (art. 33) states that civil society is to be involved and participate fully in the monitoring process, thus giving civil society a meaningful role in promoting the implementation of the Convention. Even if a committee does not provide for formal participation in its meetings, NGOs can seek out individual committee members outside the formal sessions to discuss their concerns and present them with information. It may be helpful to seek the advice of experienced Geneva-based NGOs and organizations which facilitate participation in United Nations human rights meetings. There are also a number of publications designed to help NGOs effectively navigate the United Nations system (listed at the end of this chapter). Formal accreditation as an NGO in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council is not required in order to work with the treaty bodies, but it is helpful in gaining access to the committees. When planning to attend a committee session, NGOs should contact OHCHR well in advance, to ensure they are aware of current practices. Publicizing the committee’s review and monitoring the Government’s response to recommendations The work of the treaty bodies has little meaning if knowledge of it remains in Geneva. NGOs should ensure that a committee’s conclusions and recommendations are made known to the national media and general public in the country concerned, as soon as possible after they are issued at the end of each session. NGOs can obtain any committee’s conclusions regarding any country via the OHCHR website.62 Committee conclusions on a State’s performance in protecting minority rights can be used to generate media and public awareness. If domestic NGOs and media outlets have been contacted prior to the committee’s review, they will more likely be interested in the outcome. NGOs may also wish to issue a press release once the committee’s concerns and recommendations have been issued, highlighting both the positive and negative conclusions reached by the committee. E/C.12/2000/6. 59 Available from www.childrightsnet.org. 60 Further information on NGO participation is available from www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cedaw/docs/ NGO_Participation.final.pdf (accessed 2 December 2012). 61 See www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/Pages/HumanRightsintheWorld.aspx (accessed 2 December 2012). 62