A/RES/58/132
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Fifty-Eighth session
Agenda item 106
Resolution adopted by the General Assembly
[on the report of the Third Committee (A/58/497 (Part II))]
58/132.
Implementation of the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled
Persons: towards a society for all in the twenty first century.
The
General Assembly,
Recalling the purposes and principles of the Charter
of the United Nations, and reaffirming the obligations contained
in relevant human rights instruments, including the Convention
on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women[1]
and the Convention on the Rights of the Child,[2]
Recalling
also its relevant resolutions, in particular resolution 37/52
of 3 December 1982, by which it adopted the World Programme of
Action concerning Disabled Persons,[3]
resolution 48/96 of 20 December 1993, by which it adopted the
Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons
with Disabilities, and resolution 56/115 of 19 December 2001,
as well as the relevant resolutions of the Economic and Social
Council and its functional commissions, Recalling further the United Nations
Millennium Declaration, adopted on 8 September 2000 by heads
of State and Government at the Millennium Summit of the United
Nations,[4] stressing the need to
promote and protect the full enjoyment of all human rights and
fundamental freedoms by persons with disabilities, and recognizing
the importance of incorporating the disability perspective in
the implementation of the outcomes of the major United Nations
conferences and summits, with a view to achieving the internationally
agreed development goals, including those contained in the Millennium
Declaration, Noting
with appreciation the initiatives and actions of Governments
to implement relevant sections of the Standard Rules and of
relevant resolutions that give special attention to the questions
of accessible environments and information and communication
technologies, health, education and social services, employment
and sustainable livelihoods, including the relevant activities
of intergovernmental and non governmental organizations,
Reaffirming
the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits
and their respective follow up reviews,
Noting that
the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, 2002, adopted
by the Second World Assembly on Ageing,[5] considers “older
persons and disabilities” as a specific issue for policy
concern,
Noting
also the preparatory work of the Ad Hoc Committee on a Comprehensive
and Integral International Convention on the Protection and Promotion
of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities in establishing
a working group with the aim of preparing and presenting a draft
text that would be the basis for the negotiation of the draft
convention, Recognizing
the strong commitment of Governments to the equalization of
opportunities and to the rights of persons with disabilities
and the promotion and protection of the full enjoyment of all
human rights by persons with disabilities, including in the
context of development,
Acknowledging
the important role of non governmental organizations in the
promotion and protection of the full enjoyment of all human
rights by persons with disabilities, and noting in this regard
their work in promoting the elaboration of an international
convention on the rights of disabled persons,
Noting
with appreciation the important contributions of regional
intergovernmental organizations and the regional commissions
of the United Nations in promoting awareness and building capacities
for the full participation and equality of persons with disabilities,
as well as the outcome of international conferences relating
to persons with disabilities,
Mindful
of the need to adopt and implement effective policies and strategies
to promote the rights and the full and effective participation
of persons with disabilities at all levels,
Recognizing
the importance of accessibility both of the physical environment
and of information and communication in enabling persons with
disabilities to enjoy fully their human rights,
Reiterating
that technology, in particular information and communication
technologies, provides new possibilities for improving accessibility
and employment for persons with disabilities and for facilitating
their full and effective participation and equality, and welcoming
the initiatives of the United Nations and contributions from
regional groups in promoting information and communication technologies
as a means of achieving the universal goal of a society for
all,
Recognizing
the importance of timely and reliable data on disability sensitive
topics, programme planning and evaluation and the need for the
further development of practical statistical methodology for
the collection and compilation of data on populations with disabilities,
Recognizing
also the challenge of better incorporating the disability
perspective in development and technical cooperation activities,
Recognizing
further the need to improve the quality of life of persons
with disabilities worldwide through the enhancement of awareness
of and sensitivity to disability issues and respect for the
full enjoyment of all human rights by persons with disabilities,
Recognizing
that, in the elaboration of national and international development
strategies, consideration needs to be given to the impact of
poverty, especially in rural areas, on the conditions of persons
with disabilities,
Expressing
grave concern that situations of armed conflict continue
to have especially devastating consequences for the human rights
of persons with disabilities,
1. Takes
note with appreciation of the report of the Secretary General[6]
on the implementation of the World Programme of Action concerning
Disabled Persons,[3] including the recommendations of the Secretary-General
relating to policy options to promote the full enjoyment of
all human rights by persons with disabilities in the context
of development;
2. Welcomes
the work of the Special Rapporteur on disability of the Commission
for Social Development to promote the full enjoyment of all
human rights by, and the equalization of opportunities for,
persons with disabilities;
3. Calls
upon Governments to take all necessary measures to advance
beyond the adoption of national plans for people with disabilities
through, inter alia, the creation or reinforcement of arrangements
for the promotion and awareness of disability issues and the
allocation of sufficient resources for the full implementation
of existing plans and initiatives, and emphasizes in this regard
the importance of supporting national efforts through international
cooperation;
4. Encourages
Governments, intergovernmental and non governmental organizations
and the private sector, as appropriate, to continue to take
concrete measures to mainstream the disability perspective into
the development process and promote the implementation of relevant
United Nations resolutions and agreed international standards
concerning persons with disabilities, in particular the Standard
Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with
Disabilities, and for the further equalization of opportunities
for persons with disabilities;
5. Encourages Governments to continue their support
to non governmental organizations and other groups, including
organizations of persons with disabilities, that contribute
to the fulfilment of the implementation of the World Programme
of Action;
6. Also
encourages Governments to involve persons with disabilities
in the formulation of strategies and plans, in particular those
pertaining to them;
7. Urges
relevant organizations and bodies of the United Nations system,
including relevant human rights treaty bodies and the regional
commissions, as well as intergovernmental and non governmental
organizations and institutions, to incorporate the disability
perspective in their activities, as appropriate, and to continue
to work closely with the Division for Social Policy and Development
of the Secretariat for the promotion of the full enjoyment of
all human rights and fundamental freedoms by persons with disabilities,
including activities at the field level, by sharing experiences,
findings and recommendations on persons with disabilities;
8. Stresses
the importance of improving data and statistics on persons with
disabilities, in compliance with national legislation on the
protection of personal data, so that they can be compared internationally
and domestically for purposes of policy design, planning and
evaluation from the disability perspective, urges Governments,
in this regard, to cooperate with the Statistics Division of
the Secretariat in the continuing development of global statistics
and indicators on disability, and encourages them to avail themselves
of the technical assistance of the Division to build national
capacities for national data collection systems;
9. Urges
Governments, intergovernmental organizations and non governmental
organizations to provide special protection to persons with
mental or physical disabilities, who may experience multiple
or aggravating forms of discrimination, with special emphasis
on integrating them into society and protecting and promoting
their full enjoyment of all human rights;
10. Urges
Governments to address the situation of persons with disabilities
with respect to all actions taken to implement existing human
rights treaties to which they are parties;
11. Invites
States to continue to participate actively in the negotiations
within the Ad Hoc Committee on a Comprehensive and Integral
International Convention on the Protection and Promotion of
the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities;
12. Encourages
Governments, intergovernmental organizations, concerned non
governmental organizations and the private sector to continue
to support the United Nations Voluntary Fund on Disability,
with a view to strengthening its capacity to support catalytic
and innovative activities to implement fully the World Programme
of Action and the Standard Rules, including the work of the
Special Rapporteur, and to support activities to build national
capacities, with emphasis on priorities for action identified
in the present resolution;
13. Requests
the Secretary General to continue to support the initiatives
of relevant organizations and bodies of the United Nations system,
as well as those of regional, intergovernmental and non governmental
organizations and institutions, for the promotion of the full
enjoyment of all human rights by, and non discrimination in
respect of, persons with disabilities and the further implementation
of the World Programme of Action, as well as their efforts to
integrate persons with disabilities in technical cooperation
activities, both as beneficiaries and as decision makers;
14. Expresses
its appreciation to the Secretary General for his efforts in
improving the accessibility of the United Nations for persons
with disabilities, and urges him to continue to implement plans
to provide a barrier free environment;
15. Welcomes
the review by the Secretary General in his current report on
the fourth quinquennial review and appraisal of the World Programme
of Action,[6] and requests the Secretary General to submit to
the General Assembly at its sixtieth session a report on the
implementation of the present resolution.
77th
plenary meeting
22 December 2003
1
Resolution 34/180, annex.
2
Resolution 44/25, annex.
3
A/37/351/Add.1 and Corr.1, annex, sect. VIII, recommendation
I (IV).
4
See resolution 55/2.
5
Report of the Second World Assembly on Ageing, Madrid, 8-12
April 2002 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.02.IV.4),
chap. I, resolution 1, annex II.
6
A/58/61-E/2003/5.
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