International Day Of Persons With Disabilities 2020: Ahead of World Disability Day on December 3, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for greater inclusion of persons with disabilities in society, including in COVID-19 response and recovery. "Realizing the rights of persons with disabilities is crucial to fulfilling the core promise of the 2030 Agenda: to leave no one behind," Antonio Gueterres said, referring to the global action plan to bring about a more just and sustainable world. The UN chief was addressing countries that are parties to the 2006 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. International Day Of Persons With Disabilities (IDPD) was proclaimed in 1992 by a United Nations General Assembly resolution to "promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society...".
International Day Of Persons With Disabilities 2020 Theme: "Building back better: towards an inclusive, accessible and sustainable post COVID-19 world by, for and with persons with disabilities" is the focus in the pandemic year. UNESCO will also organize a Global Awareness Raising Campaign "Tell our stories, enable our rights".
International Day Of Persons With Disabilities: Theme for 2020 - Towards an inclusive, accessible and sustainable post COVID-19 world
"In all our actions, our goal is clear: a world in which all persons can enjoy equal opportunities, participate in decision-making and truly benefit from economic, social, political and cultural life. That is a goal worth fighting for," the UN chief said at the 13th session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention.
World Disability Day is being held in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic this year. The pandemic has deepened inequalities affecting around one billion people with disabilities globally. The UN chief said, even under normal circumstances the people with disabilities were already less likely to be included in their communities.
"While I celebrate that there are now 182 parties to the convention, the pandemic has made evident that there is still a long way to go in fully understanding the human rights model of disability enshrined in the convention, and therefore in fully implementing its provisions," Mr Guterres said in a video message.
In May, the UN chief issued a policy brief highlighting the disproportionate impact COVID-19 is having on persons with disabilities. He has called for pandemic response and recovery to be more disability inclusive, starting with recognizing and protecting the human rights of persons with disabilities.
"We must also ensure that the vision and aspirations of persons with disabilities are included and accounted for in a disability-inclusive, accessible and sustainable post COVID-19 world," he said.
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