>From the web page http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/disun.htm

              The UN and Persons with Disabilities

                  United Nations Commitment to
     Advancement of the Status of Persons with Disabilities

              More than half a billion persons are
           disabled as a result of mental, physical or
           sensory impairment and no matter which part
            of the world they are in, their lives are
               often limited by physical or social
            barriers. Approximately 80 per cent of the
              world's disabled population lives in
                      developing countries.

                Disabled persons often suffer from
             discrimination, because of prejudice or
              ignorance, and also may lack access to
                      essential services.

           This is a "silent crisis" which affects not
            only disabled persons themselves and their
           familites, but also the economic and social
            development of entire societies, where a
            significant reservoir of human potential
              often goes untapped. Considering that
           disabilities are frequently caused by human
              activities, or simply by lack of care,
            assistance from the entire international
             community is needed to put this "silent
                      emergency" to an end.

            From its early days the United Nations has
            sought to advance the status of disabled
             persons and to improve their lives. The
              concern of the United Nations for the
          well-being and rights of disabled persons is
          rooted in its founding principles, which are
           based on human rights, fundamental freedoms
              and equality of all human beings. As
           affirmed by the United Nations Charter, the
              Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
           International Covenants on Human Rights and
            related human rights instruments, persons
            with disabilities are entitled to exercise
           their civil, political, social and cultural
            rights on an equal basis with non-disabled
                            persons.

                The contribution of United Nations
               specialized agencies to advance the
          situation of disabled persons is noteworthy:
            the United Nations Educational, Scientific
              and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) by
              providing special education; the World
              Health Organization (WHO) by providing
                technical assistance in health and
          prevention; the United Nations International
              Children's Fund (UNICEF) by supporting
               childhood disability programmes and
                providing technical assistance in
                collaboration with Rehabilitation
                International (a non-governmental
             organisation); the International Labour
            Organization (ILO) by improving access to
            the labour market and increasing economic
            integration through international labour
               standards and technical cooperation
                          activities.

   First Steps: Evolution of Human Rights of Disabled Persons

            In the 1940s and 1950s the United Nations
            was active in promoting the well-being and
          rights of persons with physical disabilities
                through a range of social welfare
             approaches. The United Nations provided
             assistance to Governments in disability
              prevention and the rehabilitation of
           disabled persons through advisory missions,
             workshops for the training of technical
                 personnel and the setting up of
            rehabilitation centres. Seminars and study
           groups were means of exchanging information
           and experience among experts in disability.
            Fellowships and scholarships were awarded
            for trainers. As a result of initiatives
              from within the community of disabled
              persons, the 1960s saw a fundamental
            reevaluation of policy and established the
            foundation for the full participation by
                  disabled persons in society.

            In the 1970s, United Nations initiatives
            embraced the growing international concept
          of human rights of persons with disabilities
           and equalization of opportunities for them.
            In 1971, the General Assembly adopted the
              "Declaration on the Rights of Mentally
              Retarded Persons". 1/ This Declaration
            stipulates that mentally retarded persons
           are accorded the same rights as other human
                beings, as well as specific rights
          corresponding to their needs in the medical,
           educational and social fields. Emphasis was
           put on the need to protect disabled persons
             from exploitation and provide them with
              proper legal procedures. In 1975, the
          General Assembly adopted the "Declaration on
            the Rights of Disabled Persons", 2/ which
             proclaims the equal civil and political
          rights of disabled persons. This Declaration
            sets the standard for equal treatment and
            access to services which help to develop
            capabilities of persons with disabilities
            and accelerate their social integration.

           The International Year of Disabled Persons

            In 1976, the General Assembly proclaimed
            1981 as the International Year of Disabled
            Persons (IYDP).  It called for a plan of
              action at the national, regional and
            international levels, with an emphasis on
                  equalization of opportunities,
                rehabilitation and prevention of
                          disabilities.

      World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons

          A major outcome of the International Year of
           Disabled Persons was the formulation of the
              World Programme of Action concerning
            Disabled Persons, adopted by the General
                    Assembly in December 1982.

                      Women and Disability

               The WPA recognizes women's needs as
                requiring special attention. The
          consequences of disablement are particularly
            serious for women, because disabled women
          are discriminated against on double grounds:
           gender and disability. Therefore, they have
            less access to essential services such as
              health care, education and vocational
                        rehabilitation.

              Women are also specially affected by
           disability because they are often entrusted
              with the responsibility of caring for
                disabled persons in the community.
            Furthermore, women are more exposed to the
          risk of becoming disabled because of neglect
              and certain forms of abuse and harmful
          traditional practices directed against them.

            United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons

             In order to provide a time frame during
            which Governments and organizations could
           implement the activities recommended in the
              World Programme of Action, the General
            Assembly proclaimed 1983-1992 the United
              Nations Decade of Disabled Persons.

              International Day of Disabled Persons

            Marking the end of the Decade of Disabled
            Persons, the General Assembly proclaimed 3
              December as the International Day of
             Disabled Persons. The Day was initially
            established to commemorate the Anniversary
            of the General Assembly's adoption of the
                   World Programme of Action.

   The Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for
                    Persons with Disabilities

            Among the major outcomes of the Decade of
            Disabled Persons was the adoption, by the
            General Assembly, of the Standard Rules on
              the Equalization of Opportunities for
          Persons with Disabilities in 1993. The rules
          serve as an instrument for policy-making and
              as a basis for technical and economic
                          cooperation.

 Recent Developments at the United Nations in Disability Policy

             Recent United Nations World Conferences
            reflect the growing awareness that persons
          with disabilities have both special concerns
          and needs that require serious consideration
            of the international community. All of the
               recent conferences - United Nations
          Conference on the Environment (Rio, 3-4 June
           1992), the World Conference on Human Rights
          (Vienna, 14-25 June 1993), the International
            Conference on Population and Development
             (Cairo, 5-13 September 1994), the World
            Summit for Social Development (Copenhagen,
                6-12 March 1995), the Fourth World
          Conference on Women (Beijing, 4-15 September
           1995), Habitat II (Istanbul 3-14 June 1996)
            - have addressed the situation of people
            with disabilities and made recommendations
           to rectify past discriminatory practices as
           well as to protect and promote their rights
            to participate fully in all aspects of the
            society as citizens of their countries.

              The United Nations and the specialized
            agencies continue their efforts to assist
            Member States in attaining the equality of
                all people, including persons with
                disabilities, in social life and
           development. The work of the United Nations
            concentrates on improving the situation of
          disabled persons by promotion and monitoring
          the implementation of the Standard Rules and
            the World Programme of Action. The United
             Nations continues to provide on request
          technical and financial support for national
            and international projects. The Statistics
           Division of the Department for Economic and
          Social Information and Policy Analysis plays
           an important role in developing statistical
           concepts and indicators, gathering relevant
           country information and preparing technical
              manuals and publications on disability
                          statistics.

               The work of the United Nations will
              increasingly focus on equalization of
          opportunities for persons with disabilities.
              One of the most important concerns is
              accessibility: to new technologies, in
            particular information and communications
            technologies, as well as to the physical
            environment. The notion of "mainstreaming"
             will also be given prominence, that is,
            including a disability dimension in policy
           recommendations covering a wide spectrum of
                  social and economic concerns.

              The Special Rapporteur on Disability

           In 1994, Mr. Bengt Lindqvist was designated
              by the Secretary-General of the United
           Nations as Special Rapporteur on Disability
            of the Commission for Social Development.
            His duties are to assist in the monitoring
           of the implementation of the Standard Rules
            and, in the discharge of his functions, he
           divides his time between advisory functions
           and establishing a dialogue with States and
             local non-governmental organizations to
            further the implementation of the Standard
           Rules. The Special Rapporteur works closely
              with a panel of experts, composed of
                representatives of international
           organizations of persons with disabilities,
            and with the United Nations Secretariat.

   Copyright c United Nations / Division for Social Policy and
                           Development
  Updated: 05 June 1998. Comments and suggestions: ito@un.org

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