UN Human Rights Treaties

United Nations A/52/351
General Assembly Distr.: General
16 September 1997
Original: English
Fifty-second session
Item 104 of the provisional agenda*
Social development, including questions r elating to the world
social situation and to youth, ageing, disabled persons and
the family
Review and appraisal of theWorld Programme of Action
concerning Disabled Persons
Report of the Secretary-General
Contents Paragraphs Page
I. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1–4 3
II. Trends in policies and programmes from the disability perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–18 3
A. Disability perspective on development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–6 3
B. Issues in integration and mainstreaming of persons with disabilities . . . . . . . . . . 7–11 4
C. Trends in disability policies and programmes since 1992 at the national,
regional and international levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12–18 5
1. Policy instruments adopted since 1992 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12–17 5
2. Treatment of disability issues by recent United Nations conferences . . . . 18 5
III. Progress achieved and obstacles encountered in the implementation of the World
Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons in the period since the United
Nations Decade of Disabled Persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19–42 6
A. Progress that can be attributed to the Long-term Strategy to Implement the
World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons to the Year 2000
and Beyond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19–24 6
B. Progress that can be attributed to the Standard Rules on the Equalization of
Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25–32 7
A/52/351
97-24337 (E) 101097
* A/52/150 and Corr.1.

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C. Quantitative bases to assess the progress made and to identify the obstacles
encountered in the implementation of the World Programme of Action . . . . . . . 33–36 8
D. Factors influencing the implementation of the World Programme of Action . . . 37–42 9
1. Resource framework: knowledge, people, skills and finances . . . . . . . . . . 38 9
2. Policy framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 9
3. Institutional framework, including coordination mechanisms . . . . . . . . . . . 40–42 9
IV. Issues in the development of indicators on disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43–51 10
A. Progress made in the development of statistics and indicators on disability . . . . 43–44 10
B. Information currently available for the development of indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . 45–47 10
C. Issues in monitoring and data collection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48–50 11
V. Selected issues in accessibility to bodies and organizations of the United Nations
system for persons with disabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51–53 11
VI. Conclusions and recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54–66 12
A. Concluding remarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54–59 12
B. Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60–66 13
1. Data and statistical development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 13
2. Further work on indicators for monitoring and evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 14
3. National capacity-building for the disability perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65–66 14
A/52/351
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I. Introduction
1. The current report presents the findings of the third
quinquennial review and appraisal of the implementation of
the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled
Persons, adopted by the General Assembly in resolution
37/52 of 3 December 1982. The principal purpose of the
World Programme of Action (A/37/351/Add.1 and
Add.1/Corr.1, annex) is to promote effective measures for the
prevention of disability, rehabilitation and the realization of
the goals of full participation of persons with disabilities in
social life and development, and of equality. It was envisioned
in the World Programme of Action that revisions might be
necessary, such revisions to be considered every five years
based upon a report submitted by the Secretary-General to the
General Assembly on the progress made and obstacles
encountered in its implementation. The report on the first
review and appraisal (A/42/561) was considered by the
General Assembly at its forty-second session in 1987, at the
mid-point of the Decade; the report on the second (A/47/415
and Corr.1) was considered by the Assembly at its fortyseventh
session in 1992.
2. The legislative bases for the current review and
appraisal derive from the above mandates, as well as from
resolutions on the situation of disabled persons and disability,
adopted by the Assembly since the end of the United Nations
Decade of Disabled Persons (1983-1992). These include
Assembly resolution 48/95 of 20 December 1993, in which
the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to report
biennially 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; Assembly
resolution 48/96 of 20 December 1993, by which it adopted
the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for
Persons with Disabilities which include a specific monitoring
mechanism to further the effective implementation of the
Rules; Assembly resolution 48/99 of 20 December 1993, in
which the Assembly, noting the importance of developing and
carrying out concrete long-term strategies for the full
implementation of the World Programme of Action beyond
the Decade, with the aim of achieving a society for all by the
year 2010, requested the Secretary-General to report in that
regard, in the context of his report concerning a long-term
strategy to further the implementation of the World
Programme of Action. The Long-term Strategy (see
A/49/435, annex) was endorsed by the Assembly in resolution
49/153 of 23 December 1994, in which it requested the
Secretary-General to report on the implementation of the
Strategy to the Assembly at its fifty-second session. The
Assembly, by resolution 50/144 of 21 December 1995,
encouraged the Secretary-General to continue efforts to
facilitate the collection and transmission of relevant data on
disability to be used to finalize the development of global
disability indicators, and to submit a report on that question
to the Assembly at its fifty-second session.
3. The current review and appraisal has three objectives:
(a) to review and assess recent trends and emerging issues in
disability policies and programmes since the end of the United
Nations Decade of Disabled Persons; (b) to document the
initiatives of Governments, non-governmental organizations
and the United Nations since 1992 which have interacted with
selected disability issues and trends, and to review and assess
their implications for programme implementation; and (c) to
submit recommendations to further the implementation of the
World Programme of Action to the year 2000 and beyond.
The report also examines options to improve policy
development and monitoring of programme implementation,
including issues related to the development of information,
statistics and indicators on disability.
4. The data sources for the current report include: (a)
country-level data collected by the Statistics Division of the
United Nations Secretariat for the computerized United
Nations disability statistics database; (b) survey data collected
in 1995 for the report prepared by the Special Rapporteur on
Disability of the Commission for Social Development on
monitoring the implementation of the Standard Rules
(A/52/56, annex); (c) data collected by the International
Labour Organization (ILO) for monitoring ILO Convention
No. 159; (d) data collected by the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
on issues and trends in special needs education; and (e) other
official United Nations documents.
II. Trends in policies and programmes
from the disability perspective
A. Disability perspective on development
5. The General Assembly, in adopting the World
Programme of Action, took care to define equality for persons
with disabilities on a parity with opportunities for those of the
entire population. Parity in this sense is viewed not as a static
phenomenon but one that would be fostered and maintained
as countries engaged in economic and social development.
The Assembly thus envisaged what can be termed the
“disability perspective” on development when considering
options to further the goals and objectives of the World
Programme of Action.
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6. Since the end of the United Nations Decade ofDisabled in this sense represents both a means and an end. As used in
Persons, there has been increased recognition of the the World Programme of Action, the term pertains to
importance of addressing disability issues as an integral part involvement in developmental decision-making, contributing
of national development policies and programmes. Such to developmental efforts and equal sharing in the results of
recognition may be due to increases in both the absolute development. International development conferences held
number of disabled persons and the percentage of the during the 1990s addressed the situation of persons with
population with a disability in many countries. Moreover, as disabilities with reference to a range of substantive concerns
countries develop, they not only create new forms of societal and not as issues specifically related to disability. The human
structures but replace existing structures to reflect new rights of persons with disabilities now are recognized to be
approaches and the needs of larger and more diverse less the concern of a social group with particular needs and
populations in a more efficient and effective manner. In recent increasingly a prerequisite for advancing the rights of all.
years, many disability advocates have urged that increased
attention be accorded to universal design approaches, which
are defined as the planning and creation of environments that
accommodate the needs of the entire population. For instance,
the application of universal design in educational policies and
programmes will save countries the expenses associated with
making schools and the school environment accessible to
children with disabilities. This will also save on costs
associated with institutionalizing people throughout their life.
An equally important consideration is that universal design
can benefit student populations as a whole. In a recent
comparative study on development planning it was noted that
there were disabled persons in all population groups, and that
the planning and design of development policies, programmes
and projects that include the disability dimension as a natural
element would add social value to the results of development
activities, usually with minor or no costs.1
B. Issues in integration and mainstreaming of
persons with disabilities
7. Universal approaches represent a relatively new trend
in the disability field, but they also reflect fundamental
concerns of the United Nations with both the social, economic
and cultural rights, and the civil and political rights of persons
with disabilities. These concerns obtained added emphasis
during the 1970s with the adoption by the General Assembly
of declarations on the rights of persons with disabilities;2 the
goals of the World Programme, namely, full and effective
participation of disabled persons and equality clearly reflect
a concern with the rights of persons with disabilities; and the
Standard Rules direct special attention to measures which
promote the rights of disabled persons.
8. The period since the Decade has witnessed increased
attention being accorded to the participation of persons with
disabilities in development, to a disability perspective in
policies and plans, and to placement of disability issues in a
broader human rights framework. Development participation
9. This trend is also evident in contemporary approaches
to action on disability. Traditional social welfare approaches,
characterized by an emphasis on providing assistance to
persons with disabilities to adapt to so-called normal societal
structures, are increasingly being supplanted by human rights
approaches which focus on the empowerment of persons with
disabilities and on modifications required of environments to
facilitate the equalization of opportunities for all. The human
rights approach in this sense reflects the complementarity
between the social, economic and cultural rights, and the civil
and political rights, of persons with disabilities.
10. The application of human rights approaches to achieve
the prevention and rehabilitation objectives of the World
Programme of Action are evident in the increased attention
now being accorded to beneficiary choice, access to service
alternatives and environmental factors. For instance, Rules
2 to 4 of the Standard Rules, on medical care, rehabilitation
and support services, respectively, outline options that States
may consider to ensure the effective provision of services to
persons with disabilities. The measures outlined include
several basic environmental issues: the role of community:
level information and outreach; beneficiary participation in
decisions on services; and community involvement in delivery
and management of services. Social welfare professionals, as
members of multidisciplinary teams make particular
contributions to this process by their focus on the
empowerment of persons with disabilities and their families
to participate as informed consumers, and not as passive
recipients, of services that are aimed at improving livelihoods
and well-being.
11. The increased attention paid to human rights
approaches to disability has led to the recognition of their role
as both a means and an end for the implementation of the
World Programme of Action. Efforts to achieve the full and
effective participation of persons with disabilities in the
development mainstream have resulted in an increased focus
on environmental factors that can facilitate or impede
implementation of the three objectives of the Programme of
Action: prevention, rehabilitation and equalization of
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opportunities. Environmental factors affect all and, in this 16. A third disability instrument, on special education, was
sense, environmental factors include the development setting elaborated in 1994 at theWorld Conference on Special Needs
for participation, accessibility issues and the differential Education, which was organized by UNESCO, in cooperation
impacts that individuals may experience as they interact with with the Government of Spain, and held at Salamanca, Spain,
their environment. Several environmental factors are from 7 to 10 June 1994. The Conference adopted the
considered in Rules 5 through 12 of the Standard Rules on, Salamanca Statement on Principles, Policy and Practice in
respectively, accessibility, education, employment, income Special Needs Education, and the Framework for Action on
maintenance and social security, family life and personal Special Needs Education which contains guidelines for action
integrity, culture, recreation and sports, and religion. at the national, regional and international levels to further the
C. Trends in disability policies and
programmes since 1992 at the national,
regional and international levels
1. Policy instruments adopted since 1992
12. The General Assembly adopted, within a year after the
Decade, two additional instruments in the field of disability:
the Long-term Strategy to Implement the World Programme
of Action concerning Disabled Persons to the Year 2000 and
Beyond (A/49/435, annex), and the Standard Rules on the
Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities
(Assembly resolution 48/96, annex).
13. In addition, the Economic and Social Commission for
Asia and the Pacific proclaimed the period 1993–2002 as the
Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, with the theme
of promotion of the full participation and equality of people
with disabilities.3
14. The Long-term Strategy presents a framework for
collaborative action at the national, regional and international
levels to achieve the aim expressed by the Assembly in
resolution 48/99 of a society for all by the year 2010. The
Strategy outlines a sequence of suggested actions by
interested Governments for the period 1995–2010, together
with associated targets, time-frames for action and an
ancillary set of support measures at the regional and
international levels to realize that aim.
15. The Special Rapporteur on Disability of the
Commission for Social Development noted in his second
monitoring report on the implementation of the Standard
Rules, the way in which the Rules complemented the World
Programme of Action by their focus on furthering the
objective of equalization of opportunities. The 22 Rules are
in three categories, that is, preconditions for equal
participation, target areas for equal participation, and
implementation measures, and contain guidelines for an
independent monitoring mechanism.
education of all children.4
17. Each of these post-Decade instruments are significant
by their emphasis on country-level action with reference to:
(a) specific objectives and associated implementation
monitoring mechanisms concerning the situation of persons
with disabilities; (b) the gender perspective; (c) beneficiarycentred
approaches; and (d) a life-cycle focus on children
with disabilities, from their full participation in the formal
educational system to their active involvement in decisions
on changes over the life cycle owing to age or socio-economic
circumstances.
2. Treatment of disability issues by recent United
Nations conferences
18. International conferences organized by the United
Nations since the end of the Decade have addressed the
situation of disabled persons as a substantive concern in the
context of human rights, development and demographic
change, social policies and development, women and shelter.
The Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action adopted
by theWorld Conference on Human Rights on 25 June 1993,5
contains in the chapter on equality, dignity and tolerance, a
specific section on the rights of disabled persons. The
Programme of Action of the International Conference on
Population and Development addresses the 6 situation of
persons with disabilities in its chapter on the family, its roles,
rights, composition and structure. The Copenhagen
Declaration on Social Development and Programme of Action
of the World Summit for Social Development7 notes that
people with disabilities are often forced into poverty,
unemployment and social isolation. The Programme of Action
addresses disability issues in three main chapters, on the
eradication of poverty, the expansion of productive
employment and reduction of unemployment, and social
integration. The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action
adopted by the Fourth World Conference on Women on 15
September 19958 addressed the situation of women who face
barriers to advancement and empowerment because of
disability and other factors. Strategic objective B.l(a) of the
Platform for Action urges Governments to advance equal
access to education through measures to eliminate
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discrimination on the basis of both gender and disability. The Year 2000 and Beyond was endorsed by the Assembly in
Istanbul Declaration on Human Settlements and the Habitat resolution 49/153.
Agenda adopted by the United Nations Conference on Human
Settlements (Habitat II) includes among 9 its commitment on
adequate shelter for all the objective of designing and
implementing standards that provide accessibility also to
persons with disabilities in accordance with the Standard
Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with
Disabilities.
III. Progress achieved and obstacles
encountered in the implementation
of theWorld Programme of Action
concerning Disabled Persons in the
period since the United Nations
Decade of Disabled Persons
A. Progress that can be attributed to the
Long-term Strategy to Implement the
World Programme of Action concerning
Disabled Persons to the Year 2000 and
Beyond
19. In the second review and appraisal of the
implementation of the World Programme of Action in 1992,
the Secretary-General noted that, despite concerted action at
the national and international levels, the data available
suggested that progress in attaining the objectives of the
World Programme of Action had been slow (A/47/415 and
Corr.1, para. 5). Similar findings emerge from a major study
on human rights and disabled persons, prepared by the
Special Rapporteur of the Subcommission on Prevention of
Discrimination and Protection of Minorities.10 In both reports
it was noted that an achievement of the Decade had been the
provision of information which had contributed to an
increased understanding and awareness of disability issues
and of the situation of persons with disabilities.
20. By resolution 47/88, the General Assembly took note
of the report of the Secretary-General on the second round of
monitoring of the implementation of the World Programme
of Action and the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons
and reaffirmed the validity and value of theWorld Programme
of Action, which provided a firm and innovative framework
for disability-related issues. The Assembly, by resolution
48/99, requested the Secretary-General to develop a longterm
strategy to further the implementation of the World
Programme. The Long-term Strategy to Implement the World
Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons to the
21. The data available, however, suggest that few countries
have established the medium-term targets for the period
1997–2002, as envisaged in the Long-term Strategy. Some
countries have still to establish a task force on national
strategy and convene consultative forums; others have
formulated policy statements and set medium-term targets to
achieve a society for all within the framework of national
development plans; and disability issues are reflected in
selected first country cooperation frameworks of the United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
22. Progress that occurred as a result of the Long-term
Strategy can be attributed to two of its key characteristics.
First, the Strategy is focused on establishing concrete targets
to further implement theWorld Programme of Action and on
identifying indicators to measure the progress made in
achieving those targets. This is a significant consideration in
the light of improvements that have occurred since the end
of the Decade in the quantitative bases for policy analysis,
target setting and indicator construction in the disability field.
As discussed below, the first edition of the United Nations
Disability Statistics Compendium11 was based upon data
compiled in 1988 from 55 countries; version 2 of the
disability statistics database of the Statistics Division of the
United Nations Secretariat, currently under compilation, will
cover more than 100 countries. Moreover, the Agenda for
Action for the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons,
1993–2002, has identified regional targets for the immediate
term and medium term.
23. Second, the Strategy encourages countries to use
flexibility, initiative and innovation in determining their own
objectives, targets and indicators. While the data available
do not suggest that such flexibility is resulting in the
formulation of long-term country-level plans as envisaged in
the Strategy, there is evidence that a number of countries are
using bottom-up approaches to identify a range of practical
disability targets appropriate to their own historical
development experience, culture and conditions.12
24. Three difficulties may arise when implementing the
Long-term Strategy. First, it does not provide guidance on the
formulation of options for lead-in activities to target setting
under conditions of scarce financial resources, a continuing
situation experienced by many countries since the end of the
Decade. Second, it does not suggest approaches for setting
priorities among alternatives for action. Third, the inherent
flexibility of the Long-term Strategy may lead to greater
concern with process than with concrete results.
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B. Progress that can be attributed to the
Standard Rules on the Equalization of
Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities
25. The second monitoring report of the Special Rapporteur
on Disability of the Commission for Social Development on
the implementation of the Standard Rules (A/52/56, annex)
is before the Assembly at its current session. The implications
of the report’s findings for policy development, monitoring
and evaluation from the disability perspective are discussed
below.
26. In the preparation of his second report, the Special
Rapporteur obtained a good response rate from Governments
and from the non-governmental community: 83 Governments
submitted replies as did 163 non-governmental organizations.
While the report is based on replies from Governments, of
note is the fact that data were available to the Special
Rapporteur from 126 countries: Governments of 30 countries
provided replies for which there was no input from the nongovernmental
community, and non-governmental
organizations in 43 countries submitted replies for which
there was no governmental input.
27. The Special Rapporteur observed that while no country
had fully implemented the Standard Rules, the data available
suggested that the Rules were providing useful guidelines for
the drafting of disability legislation, the formulation of
national plans and the evaluation of programmes and policies.
Nearly 85 per cent of countries (70 of 83) responding to the
second monitoring questionnaire reported the existence of a
national disability policy, which is a precondition for
equalization of opportunities for persons with disabilities, and
81 per cent (64 of 79) reported that the adoption of the Rules
had led to governmental initiatives to promote awareness and
provide information to support the full participation and
equality of persons with disabilities.
28. The data available suggest that the issue of the human
rights of persons with disabilities has obtained added
importance in the broader human rights framework since the
end of the Decade. In 1996, the Subcommission on
Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities
considered the work of three United Nations treaty bodies
concerning human rights and persons with disabilities: the
Committee on the Rights of the Child; the Committee on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; and the Committee on
the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. 13 In
addition the Special Rapporteur on Disability submitted
information to the Subcommission in May 1996 on the social
development aspects and human rights dimension of the
implementation of the Standard Rules.14
29. Data on implementing the instrumental target areas for
equal participation suggest that only limited progress has
been made. The second monitoring report was focused on the
implementation of Rule 6 (Education) and Rule 7
(Employment), since these are the two substantive areas cited
in theWorld Programme of Action as being important to the
equalization of opportunities for disabled persons. With
regard to Rule 6, data provided in cooperation with UNESCO
indicate that a parent's role in decision-making on placement
of children in special education is fully recognized in only 41
per cent of reporting countries (22 of 53). Children with
special educational needs remain predominantly in separate
educational systems, and rates of attendance are low in many
countries. In over two thirds of the reporting countries (33 of
48), fewer than 1 per cent of pupils are enrolled in special
educational programmes; integration thus remains a goal for
the future.
30. Similar findings are noted with regard to Rule 7 and
the promotion of sustainable livelihoods for persons with
disabilities in general. Data provided in cooperation with ILO
indicate that only one fifth of the countries report applying
ILO Convention No. 159, on vocational rehabilitation and the
promotion of employment opportunities for persons with
disabilities, in its entirety. The measures that are least
implemented relate to vocational rehabilitation in rural areas,
cooperation with organizations of persons with disabilities
and availability of qualified staff. Almost every country,
however, reported implementing measures on antidiscriminatory
employment.
31. Both sets of findings suggest a greater focus on process
than outcome. While the second round of monitoring found
progress in the policy and legislative areas, it is unclear how
much progress is being achieved with regard to improving the
lives of disabled persons in instrumental target areas.
Progress that has occurred as a result of the Rules can be
attributed to the three characteristics cited by the Special
Rapporteur. First, the Rules are concise and focus on a single
topic, equalization of opportunities, which makes them
understandable and accessible to both Governments and
people with disabilities. Second, their focus on country-level
action suggests areas in which disability advocates can press
for implementation. Third, their monitoring mechanism
reinforces and assists advocacy efforts by the parties
concerned.
32. Four years is a very short period of time in which to
determine precisely those aspects of the Rules that can
contribute to progress or may create obstacles. It is unlikely
that the Rules would create obstacles, given their wide
recognition and support. As in the case of the Long-term
Strategy, consideration needs to be given to developing and
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testing methods and procedures for the formulation of options increases with age. After age 45, disability prevalence
to further the implementation of the Rules, to deal with increases significantly with each decade of age. For instance,
resource constraints, to set priorities, and to identify verifiable census data from Botswana indicate that persons aged 65 and
outcome measures. over have disability rates eight times that of the total
C. Quantitative bases to assess the progress
made and to identify the obstacles
encountered in the implementation of the
World Programme of Action
33. Data on disability have been actively compiled by the
United Nations since the 1980s and were first published in
1990 as the Disability Statistics Compendium. In 11 the 15
years since the adoption of the World Programme of Action,
however, the estimate by the World Health Organization
(WHO) that over 500 million of the world’s population are
people with impairment or disability remains in wide use.
Data on disability are significant by their absence in a recent
review of data compendiums of select development reports
prepared by theWorld Bank and by bodies and organizations
of the United Nations system. Notable exceptions are the
selected disability data included in the Human Development
Report 199715 and survey data in the Atlas of South Asian
Children and Women.16
34. Data collection, analysis and methodological work by
the Statistics Division of the United Nations Secretariat
indicate a growing body of national data on disability in the
period since the end of the Decade but also great differences
among countries in methods used to identify persons with
disabilities. There is a need for international guidelines and
standards for data collection on disability so that rates may
be more comparable and more meaningful, both within and
across countries. The Statistics Division has worked to
develop statistical methodology for data collection and
compilation on the population with disability, which is
discussed in section IV below.
35. Concerning the use of available statistics to assess the
situation of persons with disabilities, a report prepared by
consultants for the United Nations Secretariat17 indicates that
it is possible to draw certain conclusions about demographic
patterns, education and economic activity among persons with
disabilities. The report was based upon the first version of the
United Nations disability statistics database18 and an analysis
of more extensive material for four countries: Australia,
Botswana, China and Mauritius:19
(a) Disability prevalence by age. In the four
countries cited with recent survey or census data (Australia,
Botswana, China and Mauritius), disability prevalence
population, and survey data from Australia indicate a
prevalence rate for severely handicapped persons which
increased from twice that of the prevalence rate for all age
groups for the 65-69 cohort to three times for the 70–74
cohort. The disability database suggests similar trends for
impairment among the 55 reporting countries, with the
exception of mental and intellectual disorders and speech
impairments which are often higher among the young;
(b) Educational attainment. The disability database
and findings from China and Mauritius suggest that
educational attainment among persons with disabilities is
considerably lower than that for the entire population. In
Botswana, educational attainment levels for disabled persons
are close to those of the entire population, although primary
schooling is the most common level of educational attainment.
In Australia, levels of educational attainment among disabled
persons also are relatively close to those for the entire
population up to the level of post-secondary education;
(c) Economic activity. Data available suggest that a
smaller portion of the disabled population were economically
active than the entire population. Moreover, disabled women
had lower levels of labour force participation and higher
levels of unemployment than the total female population.
36. An area of special statistical concern pertains to the
collection of data on disabilities associated with antipersonnel
landmines and unexploded ordnance. Data
available to the United Nations and from the International
Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
suggest the existence of some 110 million anti-personnel
landmines in more than 60 countries, which maim or kill an
estimated 500 persons per week. From a development point
of view, it costs approximately 100 times more to remove a
landmine than to place one. This is in addition to the indirect
costs to society associated with lost productivity of those
disabled by anti-personnel landmines and unexploded
ordnance, and the direct costs of their care and rehabilitation.
The Department of Humanitarian Affairs of the United
Nations Secretariat currently compiles three sets of nonparametric
and qualitative data: (a) demining programme
reports in supported countries; (b) country and area reports;
and (c) casualties and incidents.20
D. Factors influencing the implementation of
theWorld Programme of Action
A/52/351
9
37. The first review and appraisal identified three factors 3. Institutional framework, including coordination
that had influenced the implementation of the World mechanisms
Programme of Action resources, policies and institutional
frameworks. These are considered below for a comparative
analysis of trends.
1. Resource framework: knowledge, people, skills
and finances
38. The global body of knowledge on disability issues has
increased significantly since the end of the Decade. Advances
in adaptive technologies and information and
telecommunications capacities have resulted in new and
expanded opportunities for accessibility and participation.
These technological advances have been especially significant
in fostering the establishment and development of virtual
communities of interest. National capacity- 21 building and
methodological advances in the areas of early detection and
rehabilitation are contributing to improved levels of living
among children and young disabled persons. Financial
constraints resulting from continued low levels of growth in
most areas of the world can, however, influence the nature
and pace of research and innovation in the field of disability.
An appropriate priority for the personnel, technical and
financial resources to further the goals of full participation
and equality remains an urgent concern. Data in the Human
Development Report 1997 indicate that developing countries
as a group allocated on average in 1990, the most recent year
for which there are comparable data, 2.1 per cent of gross
domestic product on health; comparable data are not
presented for the group of countries that are classified as
industrialized.22
2. Policy framework
39. The policy framework for the World Programme of
Action encourages a tripartite approach to its implementation
and monitoring, which has continued with expanded
participation by interested non-governmental organizations
since the end of the Decade. Recognition in recent years of
interaction among prevention, rehabilitation and equalization
of opportunities has contributed to more effective
implementation. Equating equalization of opportunity with
the World Programme’s objectives on prevention and
rehabilitation provided a framework for emergence of concern
with the disability perspective in mainstream development
and furthered analysis and design of disability-sensitive
policies. TheWorld Programme of Action remains a valid and
comprehensive framework for policy design and evaluation 42. Two new coordination mechanisms have been
from the disability perspective. introduced since the end of the Decade. The Special
40. Interested bodies and organizations of the United
Nations system continue to use inter-agency mechanisms for
consultation and to promote coordinated action in support of
the World Programme of Action. An emerging trend,
however, is for interested members of the system to undertake
joint action on specific disability topics, sometimes in
cooperation with interested non-governmental organizations.
For instance, the Commission for Social Development, at its
thirty-fifth session, was provided with a brief introduction to
the joint cooperative effort of the United Nations and the
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) with the
Academy for International Education, a non-governmental
organization, in the organization of the Global Workshop on
Children with Disabilities, held at Washington, D.C., from
5 to 7 February 1997. The Commission's consideration of the
item is reflected in its recommendation to the Economic and
Social Council of a draft resolution on children with
disabilities.23
41. The continued development of the WHO International
Classification of Impairments, Disabilities and Handicaps
(ICIDH)24 represents a critical area for coordinated action.
The International Classification plays a major role in the
coding and development of classification schema. While
efforts are currently focused on increased standardization and
use of less pejorative terms concerning people with
disabilities, an emerging issue is the definition of
environmental factors appropriate to traditional ICIDH
concerns. In the Standard Rules, it is noted in this regard that:
“The term ‘handicap’ means the loss or limitations of
opportunities to take part in the life of the community
on an equal level with others. It describes the encounter
between the person with a disability and the
environment.”25
Although the term “handicap” has proved controversial, those
elements that pertain to handicap within the ICIDH system,
particularly independence, use of time, social integration and
economic self-sufficiency, have proved beneficial in
identifying areas of involvement that the World Programme
of Action must foster. Progress made in the implementation
of theWorld Programme has informed the Classification of
the importance of environmental factors in enhancing or
impeding equalization of opportunities for persons with
disabilities.
Rapporteur on Disability, assisted by a panel of experts,
promotes action, principally at the interregional level, in
A/52/351
10
support of the Standard Rules. The Asian and Pacific Decade characteristics. The set of IDH tabulations is included in the
of Disabled Persons (1993-2002) provides a framework for year 2000 census principles and recommendations;
the promotion and coordination of action at the regional level.
IV. Issues in the development of
indicators on disability
A. Progress made in the development of
statistics and indicators on disability
43. As recommended in the World Programme of Action,
the Statistics Division of the United Nations Secretariat has
continued to work towards the development of a realistic and
practical system of data collection in countries and to prepare
technical manuals and documents on how to collect such
statistics. Substantive accomplishments of Statistics Division
since the end of the Decade include:
(a) The organization, in cooperation with the Central
Bureau of Statistics of the Netherlands, of an expert group
meeting on development of impairment, disability and
handicap statistics (Voorburg, Netherlands, 7-11 November
1994). The meeting reviewed existing disability datacollection
methods and standards, and identified in the light
of that review a set of guidelines for use in censuses, surveys
and registrations;
(b) The publication in 1996 of the Manual for the
Development of Statistical Information for Disability
Programmes and Policies. The Manual 26 was written
specifically for programme managers who produce and use
statistical information to implement, monitor and evaluate
disability policies and programmes. It was prepared in
collaboration with WHO, and received support from the
Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) and a
grant from the United Nations Voluntary Fund on Disability;
(c) The inclusion of disability for the first time as a
topic in the revision of the Principles and Recommendations
for Population and Housing Censuses27 for the year 2000
World Population and Housing Census Programme. The
Statistical Commission, at its twenty-ninth session, endorsed
the principles and recommendations and supported the new
and revised sections;28
(d) The preparation of a minimum set of impairment,
disability and handicap (IDH) tabulations that should be
produced with census data on prevalence of disability by sex,
age, urban-rural residence and type of disability. Priority also
is to be accorded to presenting tabulations comparing persons
with and without disablement with key social and economic
(e) Continued work on the handbook on census and
survey methods for the development of impairment, disability
and handicap statistics. The handbook is addressed to
statistical offices and research organizations and provides
them with guidelines on the collection of IDH statistics in
censuses and surveys and their analysis and dissemination for
policy purposes. Preparation of the handbook is supported by
the Central Bureau of Statistics of the Netherlands and SIDA.
44. TheWorld Programme of Action also recommends that
the United Nations develop systems for the regular collection
and dissemination of data and information on disability. The
Statistics Division is undertaking revisions and updating the
disability statistics database so that it will present, in more
user-friendly formats, data on disability and a minimum set
of indicators on the situation of persons with disabilities and
those without. As a first, practical step indicators are under
preparation on the prevalence of disability, within the ICIDH
framework, for dissemination on the Internet.
B. Information currently available for the
development of indicators
45. National censuses represent a major source of disability
data for many countries. Since the observation in 1981 of the
International Year of Disabled Persons, the number of
censuses that include disability issues has increased
significantly. According to information made available to the
Statistics Division, in the 1970, pre-year round, fewer than
20 countries included disability questions in the national
population census; in the 1980 round, this number increased
to nearly 60 countries and, in the 1990 round, to over 80
countries.
46. In assessing the state of disability statistics in 1980, the
World Programme of Action noted that data on education and
employment status of people with disabilities were important
for assessing equalization of opportunities. Few countries at
present produce census tabulations on education and
employment for the population with disabilities. This issue
is addressed in recent recommendations for the year 2000
census on specifications for the tabulation plan for disability
data.29 Special attention is directed to presenting tabulations
comparing persons with and without disabilities on key social
and economic characteristics.
47. The International Labour Organization collects data on
the monitoring of ILO Convention No. 159 and has received
data from the 54 countries that have ratified the Convention.
A/52/351
11
Since 1980, UNESCO has collected data on practices in viewed as more reliable than data on equalization of
special education; its most recent review, 1993-1994, opportunities issues. Collection of such information serves
contains data for 52 countries. to reinforce a social welfare perspective rather than pinpoint
C. Issues in monitoring and data collection
48. Four issues emerge from the efforts of the United
Nations to monitor and to collect and compile official national
data on the progress made and obstacles encountered in the
implementation of the World Programme of Action. First,
although comprehensive monitoring of all aspects of the
environment as it facilitates the achievement or hindrance of
all three goals of the World Programme of Action is clearly
important, few countries systematically collect data on
environmental variables. Likewise, the areas of life where the
environment can hinder equalization of opportunity, such as
independence, use of time, social integration, economic
self-sufficiency and life-cycle transitions, also have not been
systematically measured. Third, resource constraints can
hinder the collection of data on all important topics related
to disability. Fourth, the success of certain data collection
efforts under conditions in which resources are scarce
suggests the wisdom of setting clear priorities in any data
collection effort.
49. Data collection efforts cannot be viewed in isolation
from the overall aims of United Nations programmes in the
social and economic sectors. Options selected to improve the
monitoring of programme implementation, including the
development of indicators to measure and assess programme
progress must focus on expected outcomes of the respective
programme goals and objectives. If the measures of
programme efforts demonstrate apparent success but desired
outcomes are not achieved, an assessment of the particular
determinants of expected outcomes is critical. Environmental
determinants of programme performance and critical areas
of life are often difficult to measure when resources are
scarce, particularly in a census. The paradox is that measures
of whether persons with disabilities are empowered to take
independent decisions in their lives, to exercise control over
their use of time, to plan and decide on use of economic
resources and to prepare for major life-cycle changes
represent the types of indicators that can predict whether
desired outcomes are being achieved.
50. There is an observed tendency for the information
collected on disability to relate to topics where the data are
perceived to be the most accurate and not to those where data
may be difficult to obtain. Often this perception has reflected
a social welfare rather than a social development perspective,
since data related to prevention and rehabilitation often are
those areas that need to be addressed to bring forth
meaningful social change. Thus, care must be taken to ensure
that the priorities for collecting data do not become the
priorities for social policy. As policies encompassing
universal design, empowerment of persons with disabilities
as development agents and human rights are adopted, these
polices would drive decisions on disability indicators.
V. Selected issues in accessibility to
bodies and organizations of the
United Nations system for persons
with disabilities
51. It will be recalled that the Secretary-General submitted
to the General Assembly at its fiftieth session a
comprehensive review of the action taken by concerned
members of the United Nations system to improve
accessibility to United Nations facilities and information
resources for persons with disabilities (A/50/473). Selected
activities undertaken since then by the Task Force on
Accessibility, convened by the Department of Administration
and Management of the United Nations Secretariat, are
reviewed below.
52. The period under review is characterized by a
significant expansion in the range of information available in
digital format via the United Nations Internet home page.30
Providing information in digital format not only facilitates the
increased and expanded use of United Nations information
resources by persons with disabilities but it offers low-cost
and reliable access for all to these considerable information
resources.31
53. The Department of Public Information of the United
Nations Secretariat is finalizing a new guide to the United
Nations building and services for persons with disabilities
which is aimed at meeting the information needs of persons
with disabilities at Headquarters, including staff members,
delegates and visitors. The guide will be available during the
fifty-second session of the General Assembly, and is being
compiled in cooperation with Secretariat specialists and
representatives of the non-governmental community.32
VI. Conclusions and recommendations
A. Concluding remarks
A/52/351
12
54. The data available for the third review and appraisal
suggest widespread policy-level support for the goals and
objectives of the World Programme of Action. The Special
Rapporteur on Disability notes, for instance, that 85 per cent
of Governments responding to his 1995 questionnaire for the
second round of monitoring of the Standard Rules reported
the existence of a national disability policy.
55. Programme implementation experience since the end
of the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons on
Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities
and the Long-term Strategy to Implement the World
Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons to the
Year 2000 and Beyond, provide useful frameworks both for
advocacy and for the design and evaluation of policy options
in the field of disability. Moreover, the decision by member
States of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and
the Pacific to proclaim the period 1993-2002 as the Asian and
Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons has provided a timeframe
to plan and coordinate action at the regional level to
further theWorld Programme's goals of full participation and
equality.
56. A major lesson of the implementation experience since
the end of the Decade is the recognition of the need to address
disability issues both in the context of overall development
and with reference to a broader human rights framework. This
is evident in the observed shift in policy emphasis from the
integration of disabled persons to their full participation in
mainstream development. Participation in development and
the adoption of human rights approaches raise issues of
empowerment and of environmental factors which facilitate
or impede participation by all. Concern with the broader
human rights framework reflects growing recognition that
addressing the social, economic and cultural rights, and civil
and political rights, of persons with disabilities advances the
rights of all. Participation in development and human rights
thus represent a means and an end of the World Programme
of Action, a view which finds support in the Copenhagen
Declaration on Social Development, in which the significance
of social development and human well-being for all and the
need to give to those goals the highest priority is noted.33
57. A second lesson has been the expansion of
constituencies concerned with disability issues. In addition
to action by Governments, which traditionally are addressed
in international development instruments, there have been
significant increases in participation by the non-governmental
community and the private sector (including foundations) in
practical action in the disability field. This trend suggests the
importance of policy coherence and of modal neutrality when
designing instruments to further the objective of equalization
of opportunities. Modal neutrality in this sense refers to policy
design which promotes local initiative and flexibility in
decisions on implementation modalities. Policy coherence
refers to the need to present the objective of equalization of
opportunities in a framework that can accommodate
short-term differences in policy preferences, which may arise
among the various sets of development agents.
58. A third lesson is the continued validity of the
substantive content and the multidimensional character of the
World Programme of Action. The goals and objectives of the
World Programme are reflected widely in the policies of
Governments, as well as in selected country cooperation
frameworks of UNDP. The World Programme of Action is
also providing an effective framework for addressing issues
and trends that have emerged since the end of the Decade,
from the disability perspective. For instance, recent
developments in information and telecommunication
technologies have contributed to the creation of virtual
communities of interest in the disability field, which are
consistent with the accessibility and the institutional
development concerns of the World Programme of Action.
Virtual communities, moreover, represent an important means
to implement theWorld Programme in the third millennium.
59. One issue that has emerged since the end of the Decade
but which has not received detailed attention in the World
Programme of Action is the relationship among population
ageing, impairment and disability. Population projections of
the United Nations that have recently become available34
indicate that significant increases will occur in both the
number and percentage of older persons in all regions beyond
the year 2000. Data from the disability statistics database
indicate that the incidence of impairment and disability
increases significantly with age, so this trend has important
and immediate implications for policy design. Current
projections indicate that the percentage of the world's
population aged 65 and above will increase by some 50 per
cent, to 9 per cent of the world's population in the year 2020
from an estimated 6.5 per cent in 1995. Over the same period,
the average age of the world's population will increase from
25 years in 1995 to 31 years in 2020. Moreover, infant
mortality is projected to decrease by 50 per cent, to 31 per
1,000 births in 2020 from 62 per 1,000 births in 1995, and
life expectancy at birth is projected to increase from 63 years
in 1995 to 69 years in 2020. These projections suggest that,
over the next generation, there will be substantial increases
in the number of persons who will spend their lives with some
impairment or disability. An urgent need thus exists to
examine options to make environments accessible to all to
participate on the basis of equality in social life and
A/52/351
13
development. An associated need is to develop alternative statistical methodologies have occurred in the period since
frameworks to organize and deliver essential services in the the end of the Decade, although the data are currently
year 2000 and beyond which effectively support independent somewhat limited for purposes of comparative analysis. Data
living and can respond to changes over the life cycle, are collection programmes in place and under development in
community-based and involve beneficiary input in the developing countries provide extensive opportunities to
determination of service needs, alternatives and cost-recovery promote the use of new statistical concepts and methods, and
measures. the compilation of statistics and indicators. Specifically, the
B. Recommendations
60. Data on the implementation of the World Programme
of Action since the end of the Decade suggest the continued
validity of theWorld Programme as a framework for advocacy
and policy design. They do not indicate any significant
lacunae which would require specific research and analysis
work on concepts, instruments or strategies. The data do
suggest the importance of (a) coherence in policy designs so
that they contribute to the full participation and equality goals
of theWorld Programme of Action and (b) modal neutrality
when formulating implementation options. The present
recommendations thus focus on two sets of issues: (a)
suggested priorities in implementation strategies; and (b)
suggested resource allocations to strengthen capacities to
further implement the World Programme of Action.
61. Experience strongly suggests that effective strategies
for the implementation of theWorld Programme of Action are
characterized by their linking of disability issues with overall
development variables and within the broader human rights
framework of the United Nations. Rather than focusing on the
particular needs of persons with disabilities as a specific
social group, the disability perspective on development
reflects concern with the set of social, economic and
environmental factors that contribute to the attainment of a
society for all by 2010. The broader human rights framework
introduces concern with empowerment and with accessibility,
both of which are essential for the equalization of
opportunities and self-reliance.
62. Experience also suggests three strategic areas in which
action and resource commitments are expected to result in
improved capacities to further the goals and objectives of the
World Programme of Action: (a) data and statistics on
disability; (b) methods and procedures of inclusive planning;
and (c) capacity-building and institutional development for
a society for all.
1. Data and statistical development
63. Current and reliable data are essential for policy
formulation and evaluation from the disability perspective.
Improvements in the body of data on disability and in
round of population censuses in 2000 and the revised census
recommendations which, for the first time, cover disability
as well as the further development of the topic of disability
in national household surveys, will make possible substantial
improvements in the availability of statistics on disability for
analysis and planning at all levels, as well as for the projected
fourth quinquennial review and appraisal of the World
Programme of Action in 2002. With such considerations in
place, technical cooperation, training and exchanges of
information over the forthcoming few years can make a
critical difference in the development of disability statistics
in countries. In addition, the United Nations disability
statistics database represents an essential system-wide
resource which contains statistics for monitoring at the
international level progress related to the situation of persons
with disabilities in countries. The disability statistics database
also provides a framework that countries can use in the
preparation of their own national statistical databases.
Consequently, work by Statistics Division on version 2 of the
disability statistics database should be appropriately
strengthened on an urgent basis.
2. Further work on indicators for monitoring and
evaluation
64. It is possible to identify three main topics for further
work on indicators: (a) identification of indicators for shortterm
and medium-term targets for equalization of
opportunities; (b) incorporation of environmental variables
among revisions being proposed for the International
Classification of Impairments, Disabilities and Handicaps;
and (c) identification of indicators that link selected legal and
policy instruments related to the equalization of opportunities.
3. National capacity-building for the disability
perspective
65. Growing concern with the disability perspective on
development and the emergence of new constituencies for
action on disability introduce an urgent need for information,
outreach and strengthening of capacities, with special
reference to the equalization of opportunities for all. In the
United Nations system, there is a need to build proactive
capacities for the disability perspective in the social and
economic sectors, including activities for development
A/52/351
14
1 Ronald Wiman and others, The Disability Dimension in
Development Action: Manual on Inclusive Planning (Helsinki,
National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and
Health in Finland on behalf of the United Nations, 1996), p.12.
2 General Assembly resolution 2856 (XXVI), on the Declaration
on the Rights of Mentally Retarded Persons, and Assembly
resolution 3447 (XXX), on the Declaration on the Rights of
Disabled Persons.
3 See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council,
1992, Supplement No. 11 (E/1992/31), chap. IV, resolution
48/3.
4 See UNESCO, “Report of the World Conference on Special
Needs Education ” (Salamanca, 7–10 June 1994).
5 A/CONF.157/24 (Part I), chap. III.
6 Report of the International Conference on Population and
Development, Cairo, 5–13 September 1994 (United Nations
publication, Sales No. E.95.XIII.18), chap. I, resolution 1,
annex.
7 Report of the World Summit for Social Development,
Copenhagen, 6–12 March 1995 (United Nations publication,
Sales No. E.96.IV.8), chap. I, resolution 1.
8 Report of the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing,
4–15 September 1995 (United Nations publication, Sales No.
E.96.IV.13), chap. I, resolution 1.
9 A/CONF.165/14, chap. I, resolution I.
10 Human Rights and Disabled Persons, Human Rights Study
Series (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.92.XIV.4 and
corrigendum).
11 Statistics on Special Population Groups, Series Y, No. 4 (United
Nations publication, Sales No. E.90.XVII.17).
12 For example, the international technical exchange organized by
the National Federation of the Handicapped of Iceland, in
cooperation with the Icelandic Ministry of Social Affairs, to
consider strategies and measures for life-enhancing
opportunities for people with disabilities, which was held at
Reykjavik from 1 to 3 June 1994. In the area of equalization of
opportunities, the Guinean Federation to Promote Associations
of Disabled Persons organized, in cooperation with the Ministry
of Labour, Social Affairs and Employment of Guinea, the
Western African Seminar on National Disability Legislation (15
May 1995), which was the first such exchange of its type in the
region. The Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare of
Ghana convened at Accra, from 21 to 25 August 1995, the first
African regional seminar on national coordinating committees
in the disability field. In Asia and the Pacific, the Government
of Malaysia organized at Kuala Lumpur in December 1996 an
inter-country seminar on multisectoral collaborative action for
people with disabilities; and the Republic of the Philippines will
organize at Manila, in December 1997, an Asia-Pacific
conference on issues and strategies concerning national
coordinating committees.
13 See E/CN.4/Sub.2/1996/27.
14 Ibid., chap. II.
15 UNDP, Human Development Report 1997 (London and New
York, Oxford University Press, 1997), table 13. It is important
to note that the data on people with disabilities range from 1985
to 1992. A review of the source data indicate that different
definitions of disability are being used, that there are different
levels of coverage among the population (the entire population
or only certain cohorts) and that some data result from special
surveys while others are census data. In summary, the data are
not amenable for purposes of comparative analysis.
16 UNICEF, Atlas of South Asian Children and Women
(Kathmandu, UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia, 1996).
Survey data are included for four factors whose absence or
levels can result in impairment or disability: vitamin A
deficiency, iodine deficiency, salt iodization rates and iron
deficiency anaemia. The Atlas covers Bangladesh, Bhutan,
India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
17 Lawrence D. Haber and John E. Dowd, “A human development
agenda for disability: statistical considerations” (unpublished
paper submitted to Statistics Division of the United Nations
Secretariat, 24 January 1994), p. 3.
18 DISTAT version 1, completed in 1988, contains disability
statistics from national household surveys, population censuses
and population on civil registers from 55 countries (see United
Nations publication, Sales No. E.90.XVII.17).
19 Australia, “National disability survey” (1988), survey concerns
severe handicap measures. Botswana, “National census of
population and housing” (1991); census questions cover severe
impairment measures. China, “National sample survey of the
cooperation. In addition to specialized training and
orientation of concerned staff so that they are better able to
assist and advise Governments in this area, there is an urgent
need for practical guidelines on inclusive approaches to
planning, programming and evaluation.
66. A need exists for capacity-building at the national level,
although the heterogeneous set of communities of interest in
the disability field suggests the wisdom of modular
approaches to outreach, information and skill development.
For Governments, major topics of concern would include
strengthening of capacities for inclusive-situation analyses
and for determining priorities which would best yield
improvements for all. For the non-governmental community,
a major topic of concern would be negotiation strategies for
advancing the agenda of specific social groups within the
broad framework of a society for all. Information and outreach
among interested members of the private sector would focus
on issues of social value, as well as cost recovery of initiatives
planned and undertaken to promote the equalization of
opportunities for all.
Notes
A/52/351
15
handicapped” (1987); survey concerns severe impairment
measures. Mauritius, “National census of population and
housing” (1990); census questions cover severe impairment
measures.
20 Demining data of the United Nations are available on the
Internet at http://www.un.org, under the humanitarian affairs
icon.
21 The concept of virtual communities of interest is discussed in
Tom Peters, The Pursuit of WOW!(New York, Vantage, 1994)
and in Nicholas Negroponte, Being Digital (New York, Knopf,
1995). See also note 31 below, on the impact of Internet-based
technologies on empowering interested virtual communities of
persons with disabilities in Singapore.
22 UNDP, Human Development Report 1997, table 13.
23 Official Records of the Economic and Social Council,
Supplement No. 6 (E/1997/26-E/CN.5/1997/11), chap. I, draft
resolution III. The draft resolution was subsequently adopted by
the Council (resolution 1997/20).
24 WHO, International Classification of Impairments,
Disabilities and Handicaps (1980; reprinted 1993).
25 General Assembly resolution 48/96, annex, para. 18.
26 United Nations publication, Sales No. E.96.XVII.4.
27 ST/ESA/STAT/SER.M/67/Rev.1, paras. 2.266-2.285.
28 Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 1997,
Supplement No. 4 (E/1997/24-E/CN.3/1997/29), para. 55.
29 Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing
Censuses (ST/ESA/SER.M/67/Rev.1), pp. 371-372.
30 The United Nations home page is located at http:\\www.un.org.
Interested users can access the full range of digital information
available from United Nations bodies and organizations from
that site.
31 The importance of access to digital information resources to the
well-being and livelihood of persons, especially among those
with disabilities, is discussed in a thoughtful commentary,
entitled “Internet for the disabled community; the Singapore
experience”, which was compiled by the Disabled People’s
Association of Singapore, a non-governmental organization.
The Association notes that Internet technologies reduce the
barrier between people labelled as disabled and the majority of
the population. On the network, being blind or deaf or unable to
walk constitutes no major impediment. Using Internet,
intra-disability and cross-disability communications can be
enhanced. The commentary is located on the Internet at
http://www.dpa.org.sg/DPA/welcome.html.
32 An accessibility guide to New York City has been published as
the result of a joint initiative of voluntary organizations, the
private sector and the City of New York; see Access for All: A
Guide for People with Disabilities to New York City Cultural
Institutions (1992).
33 Report of the World Summit for Social Development,
Copenhagen, 6-12 March 1995 (A/CONF.166/9), chap. I,
resolution 1, annex I, para. 1.
34 United Nations, “World population prospects: the 1996
revision”, annex II, “Demographic indicators by major area,
region and country” (unpublished document, 24 October 1996),
table A.32.