UN Human Rights Treaties

UNITED NATIONS
A
General Assembly
Distr.
GENERAL
A/RES/48/95
4 March 1994
Forty-eighth session
Agenda item 109
RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
[on the report of the Third Committee (A/48/627)]
48/95. Positive and full inclusion of persons with
disabilities in all aspects of society and the
leadership role of the United Nations therein
The General Assembly,
Mindful of the pledge made by States, under the Charter of the United
Nations, to take action jointly and separately, in cooperation with the United
Nations, to promote higher standards of living, full employment, and
conditions of economic and social progress and development,
Reaffirming the commitment to human rights and fundamental freedoms,
social justice and the dignity and worth of the human person proclaimed in the
Charter,
Recalling in particular the international standards of human rights laid
down in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1/
Underlining that the rights proclaimed in those instruments should be
ensured equally to all individuals without discrimination,
Recalling the provisions safeguarding the rights of women with
disabilities in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women, 2/
_________
1/ Resolution 217 A (III).
2/ Resolution 34/180, annex.
/...
A/RES/48/95
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Having regard to the Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons, 3/
the Declaration on the Rights of Mentally Retarded Persons, 4/ the Declaration
on Social Progress and Development, 5/ the Principles for the Protection of
Persons with Mental Illness and for the Improvement of Mental Health Care 6/
and other relevant instruments adopted by the General Assembly,
Also having regard to the relevant conventions and recommendations
adopted by the International Labour Organisation, with particular reference to
participation in employment without discrimination for persons with
disabilities,
Mindful of the relevant recommendations and work of the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, in particular the World
Declaration on Education for All, 7/ and of the work of the World Health
Organization, the United Nations Children’s Fund and other concerned
organizations,
Recognizing that the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled
Persons, 8/ adopted by the General Assembly by its resolution 37/52 of 3
December 1982, and the definition therein of equalization of opportunities
reflect the determination of the international community to ensure that the
various international instruments and recommendations will be put to
practical, concrete and effective use in improving the quality of life of
persons with disabilities and their families and communities,
Acknowledging that the objective of the United Nations Decade of
Disabled Persons (1983-1992) to implement the World Programme of Action is
still valid and requires urgent and continued action,
Recalling that the World Programme of Action is based on concepts that
are equally valid in developed and developing countries,
Convinced that intensified efforts are needed to achieve the full and
equal enjoyment of human rights and full participation and inclusion in
society of persons with disabilities,
Recognizing that persons with disabilities, their families and
representatives and organizations concerned with the needs of persons with
__________
3/ Resolution 3447 (XXX).
4/ Resolution 2856 (XXVI).
5/ Resolution 2542 (XXIV).
6/ Resolution 46/119, annex.
7/ Final Report of the World Conference on Education for All:
Meeting Basic Learning Needs, Jomtien, Thailand, 5-9 March 1990, Inter-Agency
Commission (UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF, World Bank) for the World Conference on
Education for All, New York, 1990, appendix 1.
8/ A/37/351/Add.1 and Corr.1, annex, sect. VIII, recommendation 1
(IV).
/...
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disabilities must be active partners with States in the planning and
implementation of all measures affecting their civil, political, economic,
social and cultural rights,
Recalling Economic and Social Council resolution 1990/26 of 24 May 1990,
and reaffirming the specific measures required for the attainment of full
equality by persons with disabilities, enumerated in detail in the World
Programme of Action,
Reaffirming the commitment of the Commission for Social Development to
the provisions and rules set out in the ongoing process of elaborating
standard rules on the equalization of opportunities for persons with
disabilities,
Recognizing the essential role of the United Nations and the Commission
for Social Development in providing leadership and positive guidance to
encourage worldwide change by equalizing opportunities, promoting independence
and ensuring the full inclusion and participation in society of all persons
with disabilities,
Seeking to ensure effective implementation of action to promote the full
inclusion of persons with disabilities in all aspects of society and to affirm
the leadership role of the United Nations in that process,
1. Calls upon the Secretary-General to maintain the integrity and the
identity of the United Nations programme on disabled persons, including the
United Nations Voluntary Fund on Disability, in order to promote the
equalization of opportunities and full inclusion in society of persons with
disabilities;
2. Urges the Secretary-General to strengthen, through redeployment of
resources, the United Nations programme on disabled persons in order to enable
it:
(a) To represent the needs of persons with disabilities and their
families and communities throughout the United Nations system;
(b) To ensure effective coordination and streamlining of efforts to
respond to the needs of persons with disabilities, through policy formulation,
advocacy and liaison, among all bodies within the United Nations system,
particularly the International Labour Organisation, the World Health
Organization, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization, the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations
Children’s Fund;
(c) To promote equal opportunities and full participation of persons
with disabilities and their families and representatives within the United
Nations system itself;
(d) In cooperation with Member States, bodies within the United
Nations system, non-governmental organizations and other appropriate agencies,
to extend technical assistance and disseminate information in order to enhance
the capacity of Member States to develop, implement and evaluate their efforts
to equalize opportunities and provide for the full inclusion in society of
persons with disabilities;
/...
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3. Requests the Secretary-General to report biennially to the General
Assembly on the progress of efforts to ensure the equalization of
opportunities and full inclusion of persons with disabilities in the various
bodies of the United Nations system;
4. Also requests the Secretary-General to consider, in view of the
importance of ensuring that the needs of persons with disabilities and their
families and communities are represented in an equitable manner, strengthening
and upgrading the status of the Disabled Persons Unit of the Secretariat
through redeployment of resources;
5. Reaffirms that the issues of equalization of opportunities and
full inclusion in society for persons with disabilities will be an important
part of the preparatory process and the agenda of the World Summit for Social
Development to be held at Copenhagen on 11 and 12 March 1995;
6. Welcomes with satisfaction the commitment of the Commission for
Social Development to ensuring that the needs of persons with disabilities and
their families and communities will continue to be addressed in all of its
work.
85th plenary meeting
20 December 1993