the Department of Economic and Social Affairs.6 Credentials for all other meetings should be sent to OHCHR at its New York Office in the United Nations Secretariat Building. Many delegations fail to provide such credentials in advance of a meeting and the Secretariat continues to receive numerous obsolete credentials many months after the meetings have concluded. All States parties are kindly requested to put in place the necessary arrangements to ensure that credentials for each meeting are submitted no later than one week before the meeting, in order to ensure the smooth running of the elections. Meetings of States Parties are scheduled during the same period of the year and therefore delegations may wish to organize credentials for all meetings in one process. The rules of procedure of meetings of States parties require the Secretary-General to report to the Meeting on the status of credentials received. Meetings have routinely agreed to allow delegates from States parties who have not yet submitted their credentials to vote on the basis of provisional credentials in accordance with the rules of procedure. However, since this arrangement is subject to approval by the Meeting and could be challenged at any time, delegations are encouraged not to rely on provisional credentials and to ensure that their full credentials are submitted in advance of each meeting. Representatives of States that are not parties to the treaty in question cannot participate in meetings of States parties. Please consult the website of the Of6  ote: OHCHR is responsible for organizing the elections of members of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with N Disabilities which take place every two years in the context of the annual Conference of States parties. However, credentials are required for participation and decision-making at every Conference even in years when treaty body elections are not scheduled. Thus credentials are required each year and should be submitted to DESA as the lead organizing department for the Conference. 18