A/70/297 basic services, drinking water and sanitation in rural and remote areas, and to include organizations of persons with disabilities in the monitoring of their implementation. 64 H. Participation 77. States have an obligation to ensure that persons with disabilities are actively engaged in the development of social protection systems. The principle of participation is expressly recognized in article 3 (c) of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Article 29 (b) of the Convention further requires States to promote an environment in which persons with disabilities can effectively and fully participate in the conduct of public affairs, on an equal basis with others, and to encourage their participation in public affairs. Article 4, paragraph 3, requires States to consult and involve persons with disabilities, including children with disabilities, in the development and implementation of legislation and policies to implement the Convention, and in other decision-making processes concerning issues relating to persons with disabilities. 78. Accordingly, persons with disabilities must be granted the opportunity to participate, through their representative organizations, in the planning, design, implementation and monitoring of social protection systems, at all levels of governance. Such participation ensures that domestic efforts to implement social protection systems are informed by the perspectives and experiences of persons with disabilities, and helps to engage and commit policy makers and civil servants. 79. In most cases, however, States do not systematically consult with persons with disabilities. A majority of the contributions received for the present report illustrate either a lack of consultation or sporadic, merely symbolic processes, with unrealistic time frames. Additionally, when consultations are undertaken, they are often limited to disability-specific programmes (rather than being on overall policies or strategies on social protection) or are conducted only at the central level. Organizations of persons with disabilities need to be informed of ongoing efforts, and processes need to be clear, accessible and disability-friendly, given that organizations of persons with disabilities are often underresourced and unfamiliar with the field of public decision-making and their right to participate therein. 65 80. States should also ensure that the diversity of persons with disabilities is represented and consulted in decision-making processes related to the right to social protection. However, persons with autism, intellectual impairment and psychosocial disabilities, as well as children and older persons with disabilities are often excluded from such consultations, because they are less likely to have their own representative organizations. Finally, indigenous persons with disabilities and persons with disabilities living below the poverty line or in rural or remote areas, face additional, multi-faceted barriers to participation. __________________ 64 65 22/25 CRPD/C/SLV/CO/1, para. 58; CRPD/C/MEX/CO/1, para. 53; CRPD/C/CHN/CO/1, para. 43. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, arts. 3 (c); 4, para. 3; 29; and 33, para. 3. 15-12544