ECUADOR TO RECEIVE INTERNATIONAL DISABILTY AWARD ON 19 SEPTEMBER IN CEREMONY AT HEADQUARTERS

                                                            Note No. 5751

                                                            16 September 2002

Note to Correspondents

ECUADOR TO RECEIVE INTERNATIONAL DISABILTY AWARD ON 19 SEPTEMBER

IN CEREMONY AT HEADQUARTERS

Ecuador President Gustavo Noboa Bejarano is to accept the sixth annual Franklin D. Roosevelt International Disability Award on behalf of his country at a ceremony to be held on 19 September at 11 a.m. in Conference Room 4 at United Nations Headquarters.  Deputy-Secretary-General Louise Fréchette will give the opening remarks.  Other speakers include:  Christopher Reeve, Vice-Chairman of the National Organization on Disability; Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, Co-Chair of the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute and granddaughter of President Roosevelt; Kenneth Behring, Founder, Wheelchair Foundation; William vanden Heuvel, Co-Chair of the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute; and Alan A. Reich, Chairman, World Committee on Disability.

The Award is given out by the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute and the World Committee on Disability.  It recognizes outstanding action in support of the United Nations World Programme of Action Concerning Disabled Persons, adopted by the General Assembly in 1982 (resolution 37/52).

The World Programme of Action is a global strategy to enhance disability prevention, rehabilitation and equalization of opportunities, which advocates full participation of persons with disabilities in social life and national development.  "Equalization of opportunities" is its guiding philosophy for achieving full participation of persons with disabilities in all aspects of social and economic life.  Accordingly, disability issues should not be treated in isolation, but within the context of normal community services.

Ecuador will be recognized for its outstanding disability programme and its efforts to improve the lives of people with disabilities, as called for by the World Programme of Action.  The Award includes $50,000, 1,000 wheelchairs for people with mobility impairments in Ecuador and a bust of President Roosevelt.  Past recipients are the Republic of Korea, Canada, Ireland, Hungary and Thailand.

Member States interested in applying for the Award may call the World Committee on Disability at (202) 293-5960, or visit www.worldcommitteeondisability.org.

For information, please contact Edoardo Bellando at the Department of Public Information, at (212) 963 8275, bellando@un.org.

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