THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
MESSAGE ON THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF DISABLED PERSONS
3 December 2000
The observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons gives us an opportunity to
consider the many and rich contributions people with disabilities make to their societies.
It also encourages us to explore ways in which we can help enable them to make those
contributions to the full. In our knowledge- based society, there can be no more important
theme than of this year's Day, "Making information technologies work for all".
Throughout this first year of the new century, the role of information technologies in
accelerating growth, promoting sustainable development and eradicating poverty has been
high on the agenda of the United Nations. It was the subject of the high-level segment of
the year 2000 Economic and Social Council. At the Millennium Summit, world leaders pledged
“to ensure that the benefits of new technologies, especially information and
communications technologies ... are available to all”.
Already in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights stated that "everyone
has the right to participate freely in the cultural life of the community" and
"to share in scientific advancement and its benefits". The importance of a broad
human rights approach to development is now widely recognized. Under this approach, and in
our knowledge-based economy, access to information represents an indispensable right. Yet
inaccessible information technology still excludes significant portions of the population
from full and effective participation in social life and development.
Unless information technology is truly accessible to all, the potential of information
to empower all countries and all peoples will not be realized. We must break through the
barriers that stand between technology and the user -- whether technical, psychological,
physical or financial.
In this millennium year, we have seen several promising examples of national and
regional efforts that the international community can learn from. The Association of
South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Government of Thailand held a seminar on Internet
accessibility and people with disabilities.
The Government of Mexico and the non-governmental organizations community organized a
national consultation to consider options for accessible information technology and the
participation of people with disabilities in the development of their societies.
These initiatives testify to a growing understanding of this important challenge of our
age, and a wealth of ingenuity in the quest for solutions. Today, let us resolve to build
on the lessons from these initiatives. On this first International Day of Disabled Persons
of the new Millennium, let us resolve to step up our search for new ways of making
information technologies work for all.
