International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
In 1992, at the end of the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons (1983-1992), the UN General Assembly, by its resolution No. 47/3, proclaimed December 3 as International Day of Disabled Persons, with the aim of promoting the rights of persons with disabilities in all areas of public life, and also attracting the attention of the general public to the problems of persons with disabilities.
This decade was a period of raising awareness and taking measures to improve the situation of persons with disabilities and ensure equal opportunities for them. Later, the UN General Assembly called on UN member states to annually celebrate the Day, with a view to further integrating persons with disabilities into society.
In December 2006, the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which is a human rights instrument with a focus on social development – it is both a human rights treaty and a development tool. The Convention entered into force on May 3, 2008, and its principles are: respect for the inherent dignity and personal independence; non-discrimination; full and effective involvement and inclusion in society; respect for the characteristics of persons with disabilities and their adoption as a component of human diversity and part of humanity; equality of opportunity; availability; gender equality; respect for the developing abilities of children with disabilities and respect for the right of children with disabilities to preserve their individuality.
In the world more than 1 billion people have some form of disability (and this is one in seven), more than 100 million people with disabilities are children. And all of them face physical, socio-economic and behavioral barriers that exclude them from full-scale, effective and equal participation in society. According to the UN, they make up a disproportionate share of the poorest part of the world’s population, and they do not have equal access to basic resources such as education, employment, health care and the system of social and legal support.
Therefore, the celebration of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3 is aimed at attracting attention to the problems of people with disabilities, protecting their dignity, rights and well-being, attracting the attention of society to the benefits it receives from the participation of people with disabilities in political, social, economic and cultural life.
The goals for which this day was proclaimed are the full and equal observance of human rights and the participation of persons with disabilities in society. These goals were set in the World Program of Action regarding Disabled Persons, adopted by the General Assembly in 1982.
Each year, the events held as part of this Day are dedicated to a specific topic. So, in different years, the motto of the Day was the words: “Art, culture and an independent lifestyle”, “Accessibility for all in the new millennium”, “Full participation and equality: the demand for new approaches to measure progress and evaluate results”, “Independent life and sustainable earnings ”,“ Nothing About Us Without Us ”,“ Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Activities in Development ”,“ Decent Work for Persons with Disabilities ”,“ Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Dignity and Justice for All of Us ”,“ Remove Barriers, Open Doors: for a society open to all “,” Change aimed at creating sustainable communities for all ”,“ Empowering persons with disabilities and ensuring inclusiveness and equality ”, etc.