Disabled persons

The World Health Organization estimates that more than 600 million people - about 10% of the world population - suffer some kind of disability, with 80% of them living in Africa, Asia, Latin American and the Caribbean. The United Nations works to promote full participation of the disabled in social life and the same political and civil rights as others.

Two declarations and an action plan

In the 1970s, the General Assembly adopted two declarations:

1. Declaration on the Rights of Mentally Retarded Persons, adopted in 1971.
2. Declaration of the Rights of Disabled Persons, adopted in 1975.

In 1981, the International Year of Disabled Persons, IDYP, (A/RES/36/77) was proclaimed. The resulting document - World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons (A/RES/37/52), adopted in 1982, promotes the goals of full participation of disabled persons with the same urgency to all countries regardless of their level of development.

Decade of Disabled Persons 1983-1992

The General Assembly, underlining the importance of the implementation of the principles of this programme, proclaimed the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons 1983-1992. In 1992 the General Assembly devoted two plenary meetings to the assessment of the outcome of this decade. As a result, the resolution Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities (A/RES/48/96) were adopted in 1993. These rules serve as a basic instrument and guidelines in the field of disability.

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was adopted by the General Assembly on 13 December 2006.

DSPD Disability samordnar

Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD) works to strengthen international cooperation on matters relating to disability within UN. DSPD is part of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) under the Secretariat.

THE UN PROGRAMME ON DISABILITY

The UN Programme on Disability/Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (SCRPD) falls within the Division for Social Inlusive Social Development (DISD) of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA). SCRPD promotes the rights and advancement of persons with disabilities within a broad mandate provided by the World Programme of Action (1982), Standard Rules (1994) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006), as well as other relevant human rights and development instruments.

The increasing awareness about the situation of disabled people has had an impact on the international UN conferences, where this question has been integrated into the programme.

For more information on human rights for persons with disabilities, see DagDok: Rights of the Disabled.

• The General Assembly resolution (A/RES/48/96) Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities.
  In Swedish - In English
• Declarations and conventions on the rights of persons with disabilities are posted at the website of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
• The World Health Organization (WHO). Information on disability and access to statistics
• Division for Social Policy and Development. Disability. Information on the UN programs on disability issues.
• SDGs and Social Development Issues. Disability Illustration of which SDGs cover disability.
• Resolutions related to disability are posted at the UN website General Assembly Reports and Resolutions.

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• Resolution 217 A (III) / (A/RES/217) adopted by the UN General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 during its 183rd plenary meeting.
• The Core International Human Rights Instruments and their monitoring bodies.
• Universal Human Rights Index - UHRI. Human rights recommendations from all parts of the UN system: the UN Treaty Monitoring Bodies, the Human Rights Council mechanisms Universal Periodic Review and Special Procedures. Each document links to other related information in the database.
• Charter-based Body Database. Documents and reports of the Human Rights Council, its predecessor and their subsidiaries and parent organs. Maintained by OHCHR (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights). 
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• Yearbook on Human Rights 1946-1988
• OHCHR website for background information, documents and reports.
• Research guides by Dag Hammarskjöld Library:
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