The United Nations (UN) celebrated people with disabilities December 3 with an annual celebration of speeches, panel discussions and films.
Speakers at the International Day of Persons with Disabilities event included Assistant Secretary-General Thomas Stelzer, Ambassador Libran N. Cabactulan of the Philippines, Ambassador Ombeni Y. Sefue of Tanzania and Ambassador Yanerit Morg of Mexico.
There were representatives from the World Bank, the World Health Organization, the International Labour Organization and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. There were seminars and workshops about the Community-Based Rehabilitation Guidelines, World AIDS Day and aging and disability.
The National Council on Disability (NCD) and the U.S. Department of State co-sponsored panel discussions about violence and sexism, HIV/AIDS and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
Joan Durocher, NCD’s general counsel and director of policy, said the event continues a long history of the organization’s involvement with the international disability rights community.
“We are proud to have worked in collaboration with so many on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which was adopted in 2006 and signed by the United States,” said Durocher. “We must continue to work together to create measurable goals to increase the inclusion of people with disabilities in every corner of the globe.”
The CRPD is a human rights treaty establishing international legal standards for governments and international governmental organizations to promote equal rights for people with disabilities. The CRPD addresses issues such as health, gender equality, education, international cooperation and standard of living.
The theme for this year’s event was "Keeping the promise: mainstreaming disability in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) towards 2015 and beyond,” which focused on the importance of including people with disabilities in MDG activities and fighting international poverty.
“The MDGs are meant to address the needs of the world's poorest citizens and the world's most marginalized populations. The MDGs can only be achieved if policies, programs, monitoring and evaluation include persons with disabilities,” the UN said in a statement.
There were additional commemoration events in Sudan, Argentina, Australia, Canada, Italy, Kenya, Libya, the Netherlands, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, South Africa and the United Kingdom.
According to the UN, there are 650 million people with disabilities in the world, including 150 million children. Eighty percent of people with disabilities live in developing countries.
NCD Chairman Jonathan Young said the event represents a commitment for future action to achieve equal rights.
“We are delighted that this collaboration continues today with NCD participating in the State Department’s observance of International Day of Persons with Disabilities,” said Young.
“It is our intention to continue to work with people with disabilities around the world to achieve equal opportunities to better themselves as they live, learn and earn their way to success as they define it,” he added.
This article was published in the January 2011 issue of Able News.
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