NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS INTERNATIONAL DAY OF DISABLED PERSONS
Press Release
NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS INTERNATIONAL DAY OF DISABLED PERSONS
19971126 TO BE OBSERVED AT HEADQUARTERSEvents from 1 to 3 December Celebrate Talents of Disabled Persons
The many talents of persons with disabilities will be celebrated during the worldwide observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons on 3 December, giving governments, non-governmental organizations and civil society, an opportunity to acknowledge the rights and potentials of persons with disabilities.
Several events, to be held from 1 to 3 December, will mark this year's observance at Headquarters, focusing attention on the theme "Arts, Sports and Disability".
An exhibitition sponsored by the United Nations and the Very Special Arts Foundation Committee, chaired by Barbara Richardson, wife of the United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations, will be opened in a ceremony in the General Assembly Public Lobby at 5.30 p.m. on 1 December. The exhibition, consisting of selected original artworks by professional artists from Africa, the Americas and Asia, is a tribute to the gifts and artistic contributions of many talented artists with disabilities. It will be on display in the Public Lobby for the month of December.
On 2 December, a seminar on "Special Forum on Arts, Sports and Disability" will be held in Conference Room 4 from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.. The panellists, consisting of leading experts in the field of disabilities and artists and athletes with disabilities, will discuss their involvement in the arts and sports.
On 3 December, a performance by Japanese Drummers from the Cultural Exchange Group of Persons with Development Disabilities, Nagasaki, Japan, will be held in the General Assembly Public Lobby from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. The Group's performance of "Zuiho Daiko", a traditional form of Japanese drum playing, received international acclaim at the Paralympics Games in Madrid in 1992. The performance is sponsored by the Japan Book Club of the United Nations Staff Recreation Council, the Japanese Mission to the United Nations and the Mayor's Office of the City of New York.
- 2 - Note No. 5487 26 November 1997
For further substantive information, contact:
Ms. Akiko Ito, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations, New York, NY 10017. Tel: 212-963-1996 or fax: 212-963-3062.
For general information, contact:
Ms. Shala Mokgethi, Department of Public Information, United Nations, New York, NY 10017. Tel: 212- 963-8104 or fax: 212-963-1186
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