SPECIAL EVENTS AT UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS IN OBSERVANCE OF INTERNATIONAL DAY OF DISABLED PERSONS - 3 DECEMBER

Press Release
ENV/DEV/386

SPECIAL EVENTS AT UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS IN OBSERVANCE OF INTERNATIONAL DAY OF DISABLED PERSONS - 3 DECEMBER

Opening of Four-Week Exhibit; Focus on Integration into Society With Equalized Opportunities for Participation and Decision-Making

NEW YORK, 2 December (DPI/DPCSD) -- Tomorrow, 3 December, is to be officially observed as the International Day of Disabled Persons. This year's theme is "Poverty and Disability". The theme was chosen as a contribution to the current International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. The International Day of Disabled Persons, proclaimed in 1992 by the United Nations General Assembly in its resolution 47/3, aims at reinforcing the commitment of the international community to improve the integration of persons with disabilities into the wider society by equalizing their opportunities for, and participation in, decision-making.

At United Nations Headquarters, three special events will mark the Day. An exhibit, "Inspiration and Innovation: Helen Keller and the American Foundation for the Blind" co-sponsored by the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) and the American Foundation for the Blind, runs from 3 to 31 December 1996 in the public lobby. The official commemorative ceremony for the International Day will take place at the exhibit site from 12 to 12:30 p.m. tomorrow. A message from Secretary-General Boutros Boutros- Ghali will be read by Under-Secretary-General Nitin Desai. Mark Leeds, Director of the New City Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities, will present a proclamation. The relationship between poverty and disability will be addressed in a panel discussion at the exhibit site on Thursday (5 December) from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., jointly organized by the DPI and the United Nations Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development (DPCSD).

Poverty and disability

Global estimates indicate that between 250 million and 300 million people are severely or moderately disabled. According to the World Bank, about two thirds of them live in poverty, and belong to the poorest of the poor, acutely affected by shortages in water, food and housing; bad or non- existent public transportation and health care, and lack of employment or other income opportunities. In addition, disabled persons living in poverty

are more likely to be excluded from information, power, resources and access than any other group of society. As a result, millions of them, in particular disabled women and girls, have to live "beneath any reasonable definition of human decency", as Robert McNamara, former President of the World Bank, pointed out.

It is stated, however, that many poverty-related disabilities, particularly in developing countries, could be prevented, with Poliomyelitis the most flagrant example. This disease could have been eradicated several years ago if efficient immunization programmes and sufficient hygienic conditions had been in place. While polio has been eradicated in more than 110 countries, many millions of people are disabled because of the disease, and new cases are reported each year. Leprosy is another preventable poverty- related disease causing disability; most cases are reported in India and Latin America. Iodine deficiency is another frequent poverty-related cause of disability with almost 30 per cent of the world's population living in iodine- deficient areas.

The United Nations: Setting Standards

Since its establishment, the United Nations has promoted the well-being and integration of disabled persons, initially by providing advice and organizing workshops and training for technical personnel. Since the 1970s, however, the Organization's efforts have embraced the human rights of persons with disabilities and have called for the equalization of opportunities at all levels. In 1975, the General Assembly adopted the "Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons" emphasizing their civil and political rights. In 1976, United Nations Member States proclaimed the year 1981 as the "International Year of Disabled Persons to Promote Full Participation and Equality".

As a result of the International Year, a "World Programme of Action Concerning Disabled Persons", was adopted by the General Assembly resolution 37/52 in 1982, and the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons (1983-1992) was proclaimed. At the conclusion of the Decade, a working group of government experts developed a set of twenty-two "Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities". Although the rules are not compulsory for governments, they imply a strong moral and political commitment of States to equalize the opportunities of persons with disabilities.

They embody principles for responsibility, action and cooperation, such as:

-- identify preconditions for equal participation, such as awareness- raising, medical care, rehabilitation, and provision of support services;

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-- specify target areas for equal participation, including accessibility, education, employment, income maintenance, social security, family life and personal integrity, culture, recreation and sports;

-- promote implementation measures and tools, with an emphasis on information and research, policy-making and planning, legislation, economic policies, national coordination, organizations of persons

with disabilities, training, monitoring and evaluation of disability programmes, technical and economic cooperation;

-- call for the appointment of a Special Rapporteur to monitor the implementation of the Standard Rules, within the framework of the United Nations Commission for Social Development.

The Standard Rules are expected to become international customary rules when applied by a greater number of States. In 1995, heads of State and government from 117 countries at the World Social Summit in Copenhagen affirmed their commitment to promoting the Standard Rules and developing strategies for their implementation, stating in the Programme of Action adopted by the Conference: "Governments, in collaboration with organizations of people with disabilities and the private sector, should work towards the equalization of opportunities so that people with disabilities can contribute to and benefit from full participation in society. Policies concerning people with disabilities should focus on their abilities rather than their disabilities and should ensure their dignity as citizens."

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