KARACHI (UN/APP) Disability inclusion is an essential condition to upholding human rights, sustainable development, and peace and security.
It is also central to the promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to leave no one behind.
he commitment to realizing the rights of persons with disabilities is not only a matter of justice; it is an investment in a common future.
The complex and interconnected crises facing humanity today, including the shocks resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and other countries, a tipping point in climate change, all pose humanitarian challenges of an unprecedented nature, as well as threats to the global economy.
Most often, in moments of crisis, people in vulnerable situations such as persons with disabilities are the most excluded and left behind.
In line with the central premise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to “leave no one behind”, it is crucial for governments, public and private sectors to collaboratively find innovative solutions for and with persons with disabilities to make the world a more accessible and equitable place.
The United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy
When launching the United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy in June 2019, the Secretary-General stated that the United Nations should lead by example and raise the Organization’s standards and performance on disability inclusion—across all pillars of work, from headquarters to the field.
The United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy provides the foundation for sustainable and transformative progress on disability inclusion through all pillars of the work of the United Nations.
Through the Strategy, the United Nations system reaffirms that the full and complete realization of the human rights of all persons with disabilities is an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of all human rights and fundamental freedoms.
In October 2021, the Secretary-General submitted his second report on steps taken by the UN system to implement the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy in 2020. Given the impact of the COVID-19 on persons with disabilities, the report also contains a brief reflection on disability-inclusive COVID-19 response and recovery.
Virtual meeting : 5 December 2022, 9.00 am – 12.00 pm (New York Time)
The 2022 global observance to commemorate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities will be around the overarching theme of innovation and transformative solutions for inclusive development, covering in three different interactive dialogues the following thematic topics:
Innovation for disability inclusive development in employment (SDG8): Linkages between employment, knowledge and skills required to access employment in an innovative, rapidly changing technological landscape to all.
Innovation for disability inclusive development in reducing inequality (SDG10): Innovations, practical tools and good practices to reduce inequalities in both public and private sectors, which are disability inclusive and interested in promoting diversity in the workplace.
Innovation for disability inclusive development: Sport as an exemplar case: a sector where all of these aspects coalesce; sport as a good practice example and a site of innovation, employment and equity.
Each interactive dialogue will be 40 minutes long.
President Dr Arif Alvi has said that Pakistan is committed to promoting the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in all spheres of society.
The president, in his message on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities being observed under the theme ‘Transformative solutions for inclusive development: the role of innovation in fuelling an accessible and equitable world’ on Tuesday (December 3), called for the inclusion of persons with disabilities in all spheres of life.
Dr Alvi said the inclusion of PWDs in all spheres of life as equal and fully capable persons was paramount as over one billion people or almost 15 percent of the world’s population suffered from some form of disability.
“Unfortunately, out of this 15 percent, 80 percent live in developing countries, which also include Pakistan where the population of PWDs is estimated to be more than 10 percent that is indeed an alarming figure.”
The president said,“On this day, we pledge ourselves to remove stereotypes attached to this huge population and take proactive steps to give them equal opportunities in all aspects of life.”
He stressed providing the PWDs with quality and customized education and skills, which “maximize their abilities, make them economically and financially empowered, besides creating enabling conditions for their participation as equals in political, social, economic and cultural mainstreams”.
He pledged to take on board everyone, including the PWDs, to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 10, “which strives to reduce inequality within and among countries by empowering and promoting the social, economic and political inclusion of all, including persons with disabilities”.
He expressed full faith in the country’s leadership, relevant institutions, and society for rising to the occasion and taking all necessary steps to promote an understanding of disability issues.
In this regard, he emphasized mobilizing support for the dignity, rights, and well-being of PWDs by increasing their access to technology, enhancing accessibility to public places, and creating legal, social, and economic conditions.
The president urged the members of the public and private sectors to undertake special efforts for the inclusion of PWDs into the mainstream of all sectors of life, particularly by providing them with education in mainstream institutions.
He called for ensuring the provision of quality and relevant healthcare facilities and treatment to the PWDs, besides providing employment to them as per their skills and abilities, and implementing their job quotas with creating an enabling and friendly environment for them.
The president urged the media to play its role as an important stakeholder in dispelling and discouraging negative attitudes and stereotypes attached to the PWDs through their media products.
“I believe that if we join hands and direct our energies and efforts with commitment and determination, and take all stakeholders on board, we can succeed in integrating the PWDs as equal and normal members of our society,” he said.
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