A/RES/54/262 Page 3 6. Decides that the Commission for Social Development shall serve as the preparatory committee for the Second World Assembly on Ageing and, as such, shall be open to the participation of all States Members of the United Nations, members of the specialized agencies and observers, in accordance with the established practice of the General Assembly; 7. Requests the Secretary-General to consult Governments, intergovernmental organizations and nongovernmental organizations to elicit their views on progress in and obstacles to the implementation of the International Plan of Action on Ageing,1 as well as on priority issues to be addressed in a revised plan of action and a long-term strategy on ageing; 8. Invites the Secretary-General to establish a technical committee, funded through voluntary contributions, to assist him in the formulation of proposals to be submitted during the preparatory process to the Commission for Social Development; 9. Stresses that the technical committee should ensure, in its composition, an adequate geographical balance among its members, who will serve in a personal capacity, and the integration of multidisciplinary backgrounds, including perspectives from the research institutions, non-governmental organizations in the field of ageing, the private sector and older persons themselves; 10. Requests the Secretary-General to encourage the active participation of the United Nations programmes and funds and the specialized agencies and related organizations in the preparations for the Second World Assembly, inter alia, within the framework of the Administrative Committee on Coordination and its subsidiary machinery; 11. Invites all relevant organs of the United Nations system, including the regional commissions, funds and programmes, the specialized agencies and the Bretton Woods institutions, to participate in the Second World Assembly and its preparatory process; 12. Encourages Member States and other actors to support the preparatory activities by the Secretariat so as to ensure the quality of the outcome of the Second World Assembly and to provide voluntary contributions to the United Nations Trust Fund for Ageing in support of preparatory activities of the Second World Assembly, including the participation of least developed countries; 13. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its fifty-fifth session on the implementation of the present resolution under the item devoted to social development. 97th plenary meeting 25 May 2000