New York, December 3 (BNA): Today the international community marked the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) under the theme “Leadership and Participation of Persons with Disabilities towards an inclusive and sustainable post-Covid-19 world.”
IDPD is a global celebration celebrated every year on 3 December with a motive to advance the rights and well-being of people with disabilities in all areas of society.
Approximately 1 billion people out of the total population, 7 billion or approximately 15 percent of the world’s population, have some form of disability. 80 percent of all persons with disabilities live in developing countries.
The annual observance of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities was declared in 1992 by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 47/3.
It aims to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all areas of society and development, and to raise awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.
In his message that day, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said: “Realizing the rights, agency and leadership of persons with disabilities will advance our common future. We need everyone, including people with disabilities, to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. ”
“Around the world, people with disabilities and the organizations that represent them are taking action to fulfill the call: ‘Nothing about us, without us.’ COVID-19 has exposed the persistent barriers and inequalities faced by the world’s billion people with disabilities, who have been among the most people affected by the epidemic.”
Response to and recovery from the global disability pandemic must be guided by people with disabilities themselves, creating partnerships, tackling injustice and discrimination, expanding access to technology and strengthening institutions to create a more inclusive, accessible and sustainable post-COVID-19 world. ”
He added, “I urge all states to fully implement the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, increase accessibility, and dismantle legal, social, economic and other barriers through the active participation of persons with disabilities and their representative organizations.”
He concluded: “On this International Day of Persons with Disabilities, let us commit to building a sustainable, inclusive and just future for all, leaving no one behind.”
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