UN Human Rights Treaties

United Nations A/56/169
General Assembly Distr.: General
9 July 2001
Original: English
01-44944 (E) 170801
*0144944*
Fifty-sixth session
Item 121 of the preliminary list*
Social development, including questions
relating to the world social situation and to
youth, ageing, disabled persons and the family
Implementation of the World Programme of Action
concerning Disabled Persons
Report of the Secretary-General**
Contents
Paragraphs Page
I. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1–2 3
II. Overview of recent policy and programme activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–37 3
A. Activities of Governments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–17 3
B. Activities of intergovernmental organizations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18–23 7
C. Activities of the United Nations system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24–36 8
D. Activities of non-governmental organizations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 12
III. Progress in equalization of opportunities by, for and with persons with disabilities 38–67 13
A. International norms and standards related to persons with disabilities . . . . . . . 38–42 13
B. Global statistics and indicators on disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43–50 14
C. Accessibility of the United Nations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51–52 16
D. United Nations Voluntary Fund on Disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53–60 17
E. Development Account for the biennium 2000-2001 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61–67 19
* A/56/50.
** The present report contains responses from States as at 6 July 2001, the deadline set on the note
verbale on the subject, dated 15 June 2001.

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IV. Regional cooperation for equalization of opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68–80 21
A. African Decade of Disabled Persons (2000-2009) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68–75 21
B. Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons (1993-2002) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76–80 23
V. Perspective framework for the fourth review and appraisal and emerging issues . . . 81–87 24
Annex
Projects supported by the United Nations Voluntary Fund on Disability for the period
November 2000-June 2001 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

A/56/169
I. Introduction
1. The present report has been prepared pursuant to
General Assembly resolution 54/121 of 17 December
1999, in which the Assembly requested the Secretary-
General to submit a report on the implementation of
that resolution to it at its fifty-sixth session through the
Commission for Social Development. The Secretary-
General submitted an interim report to the thirty-ninth
session of the Commission (E/CN.5/2001/7), which
focused on progress in implementing the priorities for
action to further equalization of opportunities of
persons with disabilities, as identified in paragraph 4 of
the resolution. The present report should be read in
conjunction with the interim report.
2. The current report is divided into four parts. The
first section describes recent policy and programme
initiatives related to persons with disabilities and is
based on information submitted by Governments,
intergovernmental organizations, organizations of the
United Nations system as well as non-governmental
organizations (NGOs). The second and third sections
examine progress in equalization of opportunities by,
for and with persons with disabilities in selected fields
of activity and with reference to regional frameworks
for cooperation in Africa and in Asia and the Pacific.
The fourth section considers substantive aspects of a
framework for the fourth review and appraisal of the
World Programme of Action concerning Disabled
Persons, which will be submitted to the Assembly at its
fifty-seventh session pursuant to paragraph 7 of
Assembly resolution 52/82 of 12 December 1997.
II. Overview of recent policy and
programme activities
A. Activities of Governments
3. Paragraph 4 of General Assembly resolution
54/121 encourages Governments to take concrete
measures for the further equalization of opportunities
for persons with disabilities by focusing on
accessibility, health, social services, including training
and rehabilitation, safety nets, employment and
sustainable livelihoods in the design and
implementation of strategies, policies and programmes
to promote a more inclusive society. In response to a
note verbale, the Secretariat received replies from 27
countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, China,
Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Japan,
Lebanon, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Panama, Poland,
Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Maldives, Slovakia, South
Africa, Spain, the Sudan, Syria, Thailand, Turkey, the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
and the United States of America. Information
provided suggests that much governmental action
centres on measures to implement relevant United
Nations resolutions and agreed international standards
with special attention being paid to accessibility, health
and social services, employment and sustainable
livelihoods. Strategies to promote inclusive societies
and information campaigns to raise awareness of
disability issues receive mention.
1. Accessibility
4. Since the adoption of resolution 54/121,
approximately one-half of reporting countries have
implemented national plans, specific programmes or
legislation addressing environmental accessibility and
accessibility to information technology. Many
countries have developed stricter accessibility
regulations for public buildings and there is a growing
trend towards the adoption of regulations and policies
to provide increased access to the Internet and to
telecommunications systems.
5. In the Czech Republic, accessibility is considered
under the National Plan for the Equalization of
Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities (Prague,
1998) in its “barrier-free living” chapter, which deals
with both environmental, information and
communications aspects. Spain also addresses
accessibility concerns in connection with independent
living and barrier-free access to transportation and
communications, in both its policy and legislation
(Law 13/82, in particular). In Finland, the Government
has incorporated a target to promote accessible
environments and independent living in its Target and
Action Plan for Social Welfare and Health Care for
2002-2003. Under the Finnish Services for the
Disabled Act, persons with hearing or speech
impairments are entitled to interpreter services of 120
hours per year and deaf-blind persons are entitled to
240 hours. In Poland, in 1997, the Seym (Parliament)
adopted the Charter of Rights of Disabled Persons,
which specifies the right to live in environments free of
functional barriers. Poland has acted to facilitate access
to information and communications by persons with

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disabilities under its “Computer for Homer”
programme, which provides financial assistance for the
acquisition of equipment and software. The National
Secretariat for the Rehabilitation and Integration of
People with Disabilities of Portugal has established a
comprehensive site on the world wide web
(http://www.snripd.mts.gov.pt) providing access to
bibliographic information, including legislation and
government publications, statistics and information on
events, technical aids, accessibility and rehabilitation
institutions and programmes. In Malta the National
Commission for Persons with Disabilities has
published a guide entitled: Access for All (December
2000 — http://www.knpd.org/xsguidelines/xsgl.htm),
which provides guidance for the design of new
buildings and for modifications to old buildings. The
Commission reached agreement with Planning
Authority of Malta whereby, from 1 January 2000,
major buildings open to the public are granted a permit
only if the Commission certifies that its accessibility
principle is respected. Removal of physical and social
barriers is a key element in the policies of the Republic
of Cyprus concerning persons with disabilities and has
been reinforced by its law providing for persons with
disabilities, which came into force in July 2000.
Accessibility to electronic and information
technologies has been strengthened considerably in the
United States of America with the entry into force, on
21 June 2001, of section 508 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended
(http://www.section508.gov/docs/508law.html). The
law requires that electronic and information
technologies developed, procured, maintained or used
by the Federal Government of the United States must
be accessible to people with disabilities.1
6. In the Latin America and Caribbean region, both
Antigua and Barbuda and Panama report the existence
of national laws on the access to the physical
environment establishing design and construction
norms for accessible public buildings and spaces. In
Mexico, accessible environments, transportation and
communications have received new policy impetus and
the newly-initiated Sistema e-México (http://www.emexico.
gob.mx/) aims to bring new information and
communications technologies to all Mexicans, with
special attention directed to persons with special
abilities. Among reporting Governments in Asia and
the Pacific, in May 2000, Japan adopted a law for
promoting easily accessible public transport and
infrastructure for the aged and the disabled, which is
significant for its comprehensive treatment of the
promotion of “barrier-free” and non-handicapping
environments. The barrier-free related policies of
Government of Japan address not simply the physical
environment and information and communications
technologies but also the institutional, cultural and
psychological barriers that persons with disabilities
may face in daily life. In Thailand the Government has
established an information technology (IT)
subcommittee for persons with disabilities to deal with
accessibility issues and promote development of
appropriate accessibility technologies.
2. Health and social services
7. Reporting Governments describe a diverse range
of social services and safety net programmes that have
been developed during the period under review. In
Croatia cooperation between the NGO, Association for
Promoting Inclusion, and the Ministry of Labour and
Social Care led to establishment, in 2000, of the
“Home for Independent Living”, which offers
apartment accommodations and professional support
and care to persons with developmental disabilities as
an alternative to institutionalization. In Finland,
development of social and health services for persons
with disabilities has focused on supporting individuals
in living independently in their own homes. Finland
also has addressed, in its legislation, the status of
informal caregivers. The Principality of Monaco has
adopted a policy and measures aimed at promoting
maintenance of residential living for persons with
special needs, including persons with disabilities and
older persons. The National Commission for Persons
with Disabilities of Malta cooperates with the Ministry
for Social Policy to improve day services for persons
with disabilities. Social security for persons with
disabilities is guaranteed in the constitution of the
Republic of Poland and its Charter of Rights for
Persons with Disabilities mentions the right to social
security. Social services in Poland are governed by the
Common Health Insurance Act, in force since
1 January 1999, which determines the range of services
applicable to each affected person. In the United
Kingdom the National Health Service plan, published
in 2000, provides for improvements in provisions for
people with disabilities, including a target set to
increase, by 50 per cent, the number of people who will
benefit from community equipment services by 2004.
A White Paper, “Valuing People: a new strategy for
learning disabilities for the twenty-first century”,

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published in 2001, sets out a programme to improve the
life chances of people with learning disabilities, based
on four key principles: legal and civil rights;
independence; choice; and inclusion. The Special
Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 strengthens
the right of children with special educational needs in
the United Kingdom to be educated in mainstream
schools and introduces the need to make reasonable
adjustments so that disabled pupils are not put at a
substantial disadvantage to pupils who are not disabled.
Italy adopted Law 69, of March 2000, which aims to
strengthen the integration of children with disabilities
in schools by, inter alia, increasing allocations to the
School Integration Fund.
8. The Office of Disabled Persons of the Republic of
South Africa reports on interdepartmental collaboration
to address a range of social services issues, in
particular cooperation with the Department of Social
Development on reforms of social security and
consultations on the disability sector. In the Asia and
Pacific region, the Government of Australia cooperates
with state and territory governments within the
framework of the Commonwealth-State Disability
Agreement (1998-2002) in the delivery of social
services. States and territories are responsible for
managing accommodation support, respite care and
community access programmes, such as day care, as
well as for health care and related therapies. In China,
rehabilitation and related services are provided within
the framework of the five-year national plans. The
recently completed work programme for disabled
persons, under the ninth national plan (1996-2000),
resulted in continued improvement in the situation of
disabled persons. At the outset of 2001, the State
Council promulgated the tenth five-year plan and
associated work programme for disabled persons. In
Thailand, social services and safety nets are designed
within the framework of national development plans,
the eighth national economic and social development
plan (1997-2001) and the draft ninth plan, which
covers the period 2002-2006. While medical
rehabilitation is formulated as part of the national
public health development plan, primary health care
and disability prevention are carried out through a
system of community primary health care centres,
including participation by relevant NGOs in
community-based services. In Thailand, safety nets for
disabled workers are provided under the workmen’s
compensation act of 1994. A publicly financed health
and medical care system in Japan provides for a range
of health and rehabilitation services, including services
for persons with mental disabilities. The Republic of
Maldives has launched an early childhood care
initiative — First Steps Maldives — that includes a
disability component. In Latin America and the
Caribbean, both Mexico and Panama have national
programmes related to health, social services and social
welfare, including special measures to support efforts
of persons with special abilities in independent living.
In Western Asia, the 1973 constitution of the Syrian
Arab Republic guarantees the rights of disabled
persons to health and social services; national social
and economic plans concentrate on full coverage of
services to persons with disabilities in all areas and
regions.
3. Employment and sustainable livelihoods
9. Several policy trends are evident from the
information provided: (a) empowering persons with
disabilities to participate in the workforce by
encouraging their inclusion in general employment, (b)
enhancing participation of persons with disabilities by
increasing vocational training programmes, and (c)
providing financial incentives, including tax relief, to
employers of persons with disabilities.
10. The Principality of Monaco introduced measures
to promote the integration of disabled persons in the
general labour market, including an agreement with the
Employers’ Federation to organize internships of three
months. Participating enterprises do not have to pay the
disabled worker during the internship period but do
provide orientation and supervision. Since 1998 State
and private enterprises in Turkey employing 50 or
more persons have to recruit disabled persons so that
they are a minimum of 3 per cent of the workforce;
employers who employ more than the minimum
percentage of workers with disabilities have 50 per
cent of the insurance premiums of the additional
personnel covered by Government. In Finland, a law
came into effect in August 1999 that guarantees all
severely disabled young people, between the ages of 16
and 17, the right to an intensified assessment of their
working capacities as well as to rehabilitation and a
higher rehabilitation allowance. Previously, severely
disabled young people simply received a disability
pension when they reached the age of 16. Portugal
introduced a number of measures in 2000-2001 to
stimulate employment for disabled persons, including
support for hiring disabled persons and for local

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employment initiatives. A recent decree concerns
filling vacancies in central and local administrations
and institutes, including, a 5 per cent quota for hiring
persons with 60 per cent incapacity in situations with
more than 10 vacancies. The State Fund for
Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons in Poland provides
financial support to employers who run sheltered work
establishments, which includes co-financing or
reimbursement of wages of disabled employees and
subventions related to employment of persons with
disabilities. As at 31 December 2000, over 3,400
sheltered work establishments employed more than
210,000 disabled persons, or about 30 per cent of all
persons with disabilities employed in Poland. The
United Kingdom recently modernized its Supported
Employment Programme, which was renamed, in April
2001, WORKSTEP. Key changes include new
eligibility criteria and priorities for people with
incapacity benefits and targets for progression to
mainstream employment. WORKSTEP focuses on
individual development and makes greater use of job
coaches and trainers, individualized advice and
support, mentoring, as well as support to employers.
Participants in WORKSTEP have contracts of
employment and receive the same pay as the nondisabled
people with whom they work.
11. Within the European Union, the new European
Community initiative EQUAL (2000-2006) supports
transnational cooperation to promote new means of
combating discrimination and inequalities in
connection with the general labour market.2
12. Information from Governments in Asia and the
Pacific, Latin American and the Caribbean and Western
Asia indicate that promotion of employment
opportunities for persons with disabilities is addressed
in policies and legislation and is given financial and
technical support. Public laws in the Syrian Arab
Republic set targets for employment of persons with
disabilities in both governmental and private
enterprises. In Asia and the Pacific, Australia has
incorporated its “Disability employment assistance
programme” in its general labour market and income
support programmes, with a view to promoting choice
and opportunities for employment for persons with
disabilities. In Thailand, the “Rehabilitation of persons
with disabilities Act (1991)” provides for the right of
persons with disabilities to apply for work without
discrimination and sets targets for employment of
persons with disabilities in governmental offices and
State enterprises. Persons with disabilities who wish to
pursue self-employment opportunities in Thailand can
apply for long-term interest-free loans from the
“Rehabilitation of persons with disabilities Fund”.
Employment service facilities for persons with
disabilities in China are available at all levels and are
organized in accordance with the five-year work
programme for disabled persons. The law for
employment, promotion of employment of persons
with disabilities in Japan stipulates, from 1 July 1998,
the percentage of persons with disabilities that national
and local governments are to employ; guidance centres
on employment of persons with disabilities have been
established, to date, in 18 public employment security
offices; and grants and tax relief are available to
enterprises employing persons with disabilities. An
emerging area of investigation for the employment of
disabled persons in Japan is the use of information
technologies and tele-work, which is supported by a
project to implement information barrier-free tele-work
centre facilities. In Latin America and the Caribbean
both Mexico and Panama have established laws
guaranteeing equalization of opportunities to work for
persons with disabilities. Additional support includes
vocational training programmes and financial
assistance, including in Mexico, access to micro-credits
to acquire technical aids needed for employment.
13. The Office on the Status of Disabled Persons in
South Africa is currently engaged in a coordinated
effort in economic empowerment focusing on
transforming sheltered and protected workshops into
viable business and training centres.
4. Strategies, policies and initiatives to promote
more inclusive societies
14. Several Governments report on national efforts to
promote more inclusive societies. Some place emphasis
on a broad human rights-focused approach while others
report on thematic strategies. The Charter of
Fundamental Rights of the European Union,
proclaimed in December 2000, states that the Union
“recognizes and respects the rights of persons with
disabilities to benefit from measures designed to ensure
their independence, social and occupational integration
and participation in the life of the community”
(http://www.europarl.eu.int/charter/default_en.htm.)
Japan has organized its policies and programmes
concerning persons with disabilities in accordance with
the concept of a “barrier-free society”. Four barriers

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are identified: (a) physical barriers; (b) institutional
barriers; (c) barriers to cultural activities and
information; and (d) psychological barriers. South
Africa has formulated an operational strategy based
upon the human rights of persons with disabilities and
development.
15. Some Governments report implementing plans
and programmes providing aid and benefits to persons
with disabilities. China and South Africa directly
integrate poverty alleviation as part of their target goals
for persons with disabilities. Both have integrated
poverty alleviation for persons with disabilities into
their respective national development plans. Other
Governments report on national action plans and
programmes that focus specifically on persons with
disabilities, including the multisectoral “National Plan
for Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with
Disabilities” of the Czech Republic; the medium-term
“National Plan for the Rehabilitation and Integration of
Persons with Disability” of Portugal; the 2001-2002
national plan of action for the rights of disabled
persons of Lebanon, and the national action plan for
disability, “From Patient to Citizen”, of Sweden.
16. Other Governments have opted for institutional
arrangements to promote social integration, notably the
recent initiative of the Government of Mexico to
create, within the Office of the President, a “National
office to promote the social integration of persons with
disabilities” and a “National consultative council on
the integration of persons with disabilities”. The Sudan
has established an Office on Disability and organized,
from 18 to 24 November 2000, at Khartoum, the
“Fourth forum on disability”, with participants from
governmental and non-governmental organizations and
the private sector.
5. Information campaigns and promotion of
awareness of disability issues
17. Many Governments report on national awareness
campaigns, which may range from a single day’s
observance to a decade, as is the case in Africa and in
Asia and the Pacific. Often these campaigns are based
upon the annual observance, on 3 December, of the
International Day of Disabled Persons.3 Some
awareness campaigns are broad in scope, while other
countries had a specific focus for awareness raising,
such as the “Year 2000 Information and Awareness
Raising Campaign” of Portugal, which focused on
abilities of persons with disabilities, emphasizing their
potential, productivity, participation, creativity and
skills in the workforce. Other national campaigns are
based on a single theme, as in Malta where the
Government organized an extensive, week-long
programme to promote awareness of its “Equal
Opportunities (Persons with Disability) Act” on
17 January 2001. As discussed below, the proclamation
of the African Decade for Disabled Persons (2000-
2009) focuses on incorporating disability in the social,
economic and political agendas of all African States. In
Europe, on 29 May 2001, the European Commission
adopted a proposal to establish 2003 as the “European
Year of People with Disabilities”. The proposal reflects
the findings of an opinion survey in which 97 per cent
of European Union citizens expressed the view that
more could be done to improve integration of disabled
persons into society.4
B. Activities of intergovernmental
organizations
1. Asian Development Bank
18. The Social Integration Branch of Asian
Development Bank addresses disability-related issues
with reference to poverty reduction. During 1999, the
Asian Development Bank conducted at its Manila
headquarters a “Disability and Development”
workshop to discuss issues of concern to persons with
disabilities in Asia and Pacific better to reflect these
concerns in Bank activities.5 In 2000, the Asian
Development Bank approved regional technical
assistance to identify disability issues related to
poverty reduction.
2. Inter-American Development Bank
19. The Sustainable Development Department of the
Inter-American Development Bank organized, in
conjunction with the forty-second annual meeting of its
Board of Governors, technical seminars on “Dialogue
on development and inclusion: opportunities for people
with disabilities” and “Women at work: a challenge for
development” (Santiago, 16 and 17 March 2001). The
first seminar, co-sponsored by the Governments of
Canada and Finland, focused on education and labour
markets and infrastructure, transportation and urban
design. The second seminar, co-sponsored by the
Governments of Chile and Norway and the Economic
Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean,
focused on advances and challenges that women

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experience in the labour market and examined options
to expand labour market opportunities for women and
specific social groups.
3. League of Arab States
20. The Ministries of Social Affairs of all Arab
countries address the situation of persons with
disabilities with specific regard to their economic and
social needs and their human rights. The League of
Arab States seeks to heighten public awareness
regarding disability through media and social
programmes. The League supports higher levels of
education for persons with disabilities in order that
they may achieve maximum levels of integration in
society. New policies include an Arabic sign language
dictionary, seminars and workshops for training
resource persons in the disability field. The Arab
countries of Africa participated in the creation of the
African Disability Act of the Organization of African
Unity (OAU). In cooperation with the Arab
Organization for Persons with Disabilities, the League
of Arab Countries is preparing an Arab conference
related to legislation, poverty, education, health care,
women and children with disabilities and transportation
for persons with disabilities which is to be held in
2002. The conference is expected to adopt an “Arab
Disability Act”.
4. Organization of African Unity
21. In April 1999 at the twenty-second session of the
Labour and Social Affairs Commission of the
Organization of African Unity (OAU), the “African
Decade of Disabled Persons (2000-2009)” was
proclaimed, aimed at empowering and improving the
conditions of persons with disabilities, increasing
awareness of disability and placing disability on the
social, economic, and political agenda of African
Governments. The African Decade was adopted by the
seventy-second session of the OAU Council of
Ministers and endorsed by the thirty-sixth Assembly of
Heads of State and Government at Lomé in July 2000.
22. The African Decade directs special attention to
equal access to education and development of
programmes for appropriate and sustainable
employment as key policy priorities. The Decade calls
for effective support of interventions, addressing
disability in ongoing crises such as the HIV/AIDS
pandemic, and the provisioning of rehabilitative
services and appliances. Plans for the Decade include
the development of disability-sensitive planning and
monitoring tools and training opportunities for
Governments in order that they may better address and
effectively include the disability perspective in their
work. Work related to the Decade is being carried out
by the African Rehabilitation Institute (ARI), a
specialized agency of OAU, in accordance with its
approved programme of work, and in collaboration
with, inter alia, the OAU secretariat and the Pan-
African Federation of the Disabled.
5. Pan American Health Organization
23. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
uses its health information systems to define the
population of disabled persons in the Americas and is
also integrating Community Based Rehabilitation
Strategies into its network of primary care services.
C. Activities of the United Nations system
24. The General Assembly, in paragraph 14 of
resolution 54/121, requested the Secretary-General to
include in his assessments of the implementation of the
outcome of major United Nations conferences and
summits to be considered at special sessions of the
General Assembly, the contribution of these meetings
to the promotion of the rights and well-being of
persons with disabilities. During the period under
review, special sessions of the General Assembly were
convened to consider progress in fields of social
development, the advancement of women and human
settlements. In addition the Millennium Assembly of
the United Nations was held from 6 to 8 September
2000 to consider fundamental values deemed essential
to international relations in the twenty-first century and
to identify priorities to translate the shared values into
actions. From a disability perspective, the results of
these assessments and outcome documents adopted are
mixed: persons with disabilities do not obtain
prominent mention in the priority areas identified in
the documents adopted at the special sessions and the
Millennium Assembly. In cases where persons with
disabilities were cited in outcome documents, the
presentation focused mainly on provision of services
and care to the disabled rather than on their active role
in society.
25. The twenty-first special session of the General
Assembly met from 30 June to 1 July 1999 to consider
progress in implementing the outcome of the

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Programme of Action of the International Conference
on Population and Development.6 The report adopted
by the special session discussed key actions to further
implement the Programme of Action. The report
included recommendations to Governments on
improving management and delivery of services in
urban agglomerations so that they meet the needs of all
citizens, including the disabled, and on expanding
youth and adult education with particular attention to
people with disabilities.7 The twenty-third special
session of the General Assembly met from 5 to 10 June
2000 to consider progress in implementing the Beijing
Declaration and the Platform for Action.8 On the basis
of the report adopted by the special session, the
General Assembly adopted resolution S-23/3, which
contains recommendations to Governments on further
actions and initiatives to implement the Beijing
Declaration and the Platform for Action. In the
resolution, women with disabilities are identified as
being among the more vulnerable and marginalized
members of society, whose concerns should be
addressed in all policy making and programming.9 The
twenty-fourth special session of the General Assembly
met from 26 to 30 June 2000 at Geneva to consider
progress in implementing the “Copenhagen Declaration
and Programme of Action on Social Development”.10
In General Assembly resolution S-24/2 of 1 July 2000,
recommendations were made concerning persons with
disabilities urging Governments not to discriminate
against persons with disabilities in efforts to promote
quality education and health care.11 The twenty-fifth
special session of the General Assembly met from
6 to 8 June 2001 to consider progress in implementing
the “Habitat Agenda”.12 The draft Declaration on cities
and human settlements in the new millennium includes
in addition to its renewal of the commitments made at
Habitat II, the resolve to promote a range of basic
infrastructure and urban services accessible to all,
“including people with disabilities”.13
26. By resolution 53/202, of 17 December 1998, the
General Assembly decided to designate its fifty-fifth
session which began on 5 September 2000, as the
Millennium Assembly of the United Nations and to
convene a Millennium Summit of the United Nations
from 6 to 8 September 2000.14 In preparation for this
event, the Secretary-General prepared a comprehensive
report on issues and challenges faced by world’s people
that fall within the United Nations ambit and set forth a
number of proposals for consideration of the Member
States.15 The United Nations Millennium Declaration,
adopted by the General Assembly on 8 September
2000, provides guidance for translating the shared
values identified into practical actions; however, there
is no mention of persons with disabilities in the
document.16
27. Substantive activities of the United Nations
system reflect a growing recognition of the rights of
persons with disabilities and their contributions as
agents and beneficiaries of development. Frequently
these activities are carried out in partnership with
Governments and the non-governmental community.
For instance, the Non-governmental Organizations
Section of the United Nations Department of Public
Information organized a well-received observance
of the International Day of Disabled Persons on
3 December 2000 at Headquarters, on the theme
“Making Information Technologies Work for All”. The
Department of Public Information and its system of
United Nations information centres and services
effectively disseminate a range of documents and
information products on the work of the Organization
concerning persons with disabilities. The Population
Division of the Secretariat develops official United
Nations estimates and projections, which provide a
demographic context for discussing trends in ageassociated
disability. Given the prevalence of disability
in older cohorts, in 1998 the Population Division began
to disaggregate all five-year population cohorts by sex
for national, regional and global populations to age
100. The Statistics Division of the Secretariat focused
on three aspects of data and statistics on populations
with disabilities: (a) improvement of statistical
concepts and methods; (b) technical cooperation to
build national capabilities; and (c) improved
compilation and dissemination of data and statistics on
disability. Substantive aspects of the work on global
statistics on disability are discussed below.
28. Pursuant to Economic and Social Council
resolution 2000/268 of 28 July 2001, the United
Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, in
cooperation with the Special Rapporteur on Disability
of the Commission for Social Development, began
examining measures to strengthen the protection and
monitoring of the human rights of persons with
disabilities and solicited inputs from interested parties.
It may be recalled that the resolution urged that
international norms and standards be translated into
concrete action, which could have impact on the work
of the Commission on Human Rights and on the

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mechanisms it has established, such as country and
thematic rapporteurs. The High Commissioner for
Human Rights took measures to strengthen work on
disability and reinforce the expertise of her Office in
this area. This resulted in increased support for the
work of the Special Rapporteur; and increased
emphasis on the question of disability in the following
areas: (a) United Nations human rights mechanisms,
including special rapporteurs and treaty bodies, were
encouraged to direct greater attention to the rights of
persons with disabilities and (b) NGOs concerned with
disability were encouraged to increase their
involvement with Untied Nations human rights
mechanisms.
29. It may be recalled that the Secretary-General
established the United Nations Fund for International
Partnerships in March 1998 to coordinate, channel and
monitor contributions from the United Nations
Foundation in support of the goals and objectives of
the Organization (http://www.unfoundation.org/about/
mission.asp). During the period under review, a number
of UNFIP projects support directly, or indirectly,
persons with disabilities. For instance several UNFIP funded
initiatives aim at assisting persons with
disabilities as a result of landmines as well as promote
landmine awareness and advocacy (Angola, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Cambodia, Laos, Lebanon, Mozambique,
Somalia and Sri Lanka). The United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP), the Department of
Peacekeeping Operations of the Secretariat and the
United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research are
the implementing agents for these projects. The United
Nations Fund for International Partnerships also funded
projects related to eradication of polio, guinea worm,
vitamin A deficiency and the promotion of salt
iodization and measles immunization, all of which
contribute to prevention of disabling conditions. The
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the
World Health Organization (WHO) are the principal
implementing agents of these projects.
30. Among the regional commissions the Economic
and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) is
placing special emphasis on promoting accessible
environments and information technologies and on
providing sustainable livelihoods to persons with
disabilities. ESCWA is working with the Government
of Lebanon and the non-governmental community in
the establishment of a regional Braille computer
training centre in Beirut. The initiative also is receiving
assistance from the Government of Japan. ESCWA also
has continued to organize pilot training workshops to
promote the empowerment and self-reliance of, and
sustainable livelihoods for, persons with disabilities,
which have focused on starting a small-scale business,
advocacy and promotional techniques and vocational
training for young persons with disabilities. In
cooperation with the Government of Lebanon, the
private sector and civil society organizations, ESCWA has
carried out the “United Kiosks of Lebanon”, a project to
create non-traditional employment opportunities for
persons with disabilities. With regard to building for
environmental accessibility in Western Asia, in June
2001, ESCWA published the Arabic version of
the design manual “Accessibility for the Disabled”. The
English text is available on the Internet —
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/designm/. ESCWA
also is implementing a Development Account-assisted
project on training and advocacy in accessible
environments in cooperation with the Municipality of
Aley, Lebanon, which aims to make selected public
buildings accessible to all.
31. The disability-related activities of the Economic
and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
(ESCAP) continue to focus on promotion, support and
periodic reviews of progress in implementing of the
targets of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled
Persons (1993-2002), which will be discussed in detail
in chapter IV below.
32. Among the funds and programmes of the United
Nations, the United Nations Development Fund for
Women (UNIFEM), in 2000, initiated support for a
two-year pilot project in Morocco on “Research and
prevention of violence against disabled women and
girls”. The Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is directing
special attention to refugees with disabilities in
particularly difficult circumstances. Data on the
number, location and situation of refugees with
disabilities remains a problem. Poverty among persons
with special needs complicates chances for survival. In
conflict situations persons with disabilities are less
likely than their fellow citizens to leave their place of
origin leaving them vulnerable and open to additional
trauma. UNHCR is of the view that support should be
directed to capacity-building and training rather than
direct service delivery among refugees with
disabilities. To reach refugees with special needs, the
Community Services Unit of the Health and

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Community Development Section of UNHCR has
applied a community-based rehabilitation approach
based on local resources and organized within existing
structures (Kenya, Nepal, Pakistan and Uganda) in
selected refugee camps. This approach aims to raise
awareness, build self-sufficiency and facilitate health,
education and vocational training within a framework
of community participation. The disability programme
of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for
Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) aims at
improving access to services for persons with special
needs and promoting awareness of disability issues.
UNRWA community rehabilitation centres offer
diagnosis, rehabilitation, recreation and training.
UNRWA is currently examining more holistic
approaches to social integration of persons with
physical and mental disabilities. Since the adoption of
the Convention on the Rights of the Child,17 the United
Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has shifted the
focus of its work from the medical causes of disability
to the protection of all children from the neglect and
discrimination that often accompany disability.
UNICEF emphasizes, within its rights-based
programming approach, reduction of discrimination
against children with disabilities through efforts to
promote social inclusion for all groups of vulnerable
children or children with special needs. Armed conflict
remains a major cause of disability among children in
many countries and UNICEF has produced a number of
information materials, most recently an animated film,
“The Silent Shout”, that aims to prevent landmine
injuries among children. The Innocenti Research
Centre of UNICEF is now compiling research and
studies on children with disabilities and conducting a
comparative analysis of reasons for their exclusion;
results of this work will be published in a forthcoming
issue of the Innocenti Digest. The United Nations
Population Programme (UNFPA) has a distinguished
record of support for preventing disabilities related to
childbearing through the promotion of safe motherhood
programmes. The data indicate that obstetric fistula,
which disproportionately affects very young women
and women living in poverty, carries severe health and
social consequences and should be considered a long-term
disability. UNFPA, in cooperation with an
international support group, is supporting work on
prevention and treatment, with a special focus on
access to emergency obstetric care.18
33. As the principal judicial organ of the United
Nations, the International Court of Justice decides on
disputes between States in accordance with
international law and gives advisory opinions to United
Nations organs and specialized agencies on legal
questions arising within the scope of their activities.
The case law of the Court contributes to the
clarification and elucidation of the principles of
international law, thereby enhancing the rule of law.
The Court has noted that General Assembly resolution
54/121 expressed grave concern that situations of
armed conflict have especially devastating
consequences for the human rights of persons with
disabilities. Judgements and advisory opinions of the
Court dealing with questions of international law may
be of some significance. In an advisory opinion given
by the Court in 1996, at the request of the General
Assembly, the Court found that “a great many rules of
humanitarian law applicable in armed conflict are so
fundamental to the respect of the human person and
‘elementary considerations of humanity’” and that
“these fundamental rules are to be observed by all
States whether or not they have ratified the conventions
that contain them, because they constitute
intransgressible principles of international customary
law” (Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear
Weapons, Advisory Opinion, I.C.J. Reports 1996, para.
79).
34. Among the specialized agencies of the United
Nations system, the disability programme of the
International Labour Organization (ILO) focuses on
promotion of decent work for women and men with
disabilities. The concept of decent work is based upon
the concepts of creating jobs, securing fundamental
rights at work, enhancing social protection and
promoting social dialogue. ILO reports that an
additional 10 Governments ratified ILO Convention
No. 159 on Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment
of Disabled Persons (1983) during the period 1999-
2001 (Bahrain, Côte d’Ivoire, Portugal, Republic of
Korea, Trinidad and Tobago, Italy, Lebanon, Turkey,
Luxembourg, and Mexico). During 2000-2001, ILO
cooperated with the World Health Organization (WHO)
in producing a series of publications, guidelines and
manuals on mental health and work (in cooperation
with the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health),
management of disability in the workplace and
HIV/AIDS and the world of work. The technical
cooperation activities of ILO were directed towards
building national capacities to manage and for delivery

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of vocational rehabilitation services, including
community-based approaches (Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Morocco, Russian Federation, Ukraine),
establishment of national vocational rehabilitation
centres (Palestine Authority, West Bank and Gaza
Strip), and policy advice and assistance (Panama). ILO
has also established a “Disability and Work” site on the
Internet — http://www.ilo.org/employment/disability.
In connection with the observance of the International
Day of Disabled Persons, on 3 December 2000, the
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations (FAO) premiered its video, “Empowering the
rural disabled”, which describes its experiences in
providing entrepreneurial training to rural people with
disabilities in Cambodia and Thailand. FAO also
organized discussions on the integration of persons
with disabilities in FAO field projects and programmes,
and on the role of the media in portraying disabled
people. The global “Education for All Assessment
2000” carried out by the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
(http://www.unesco.org/education/efa/ed_for_all/index.shtml), included a thematic study on inclusion of
learners with disabilities in regular education, which
drew upon developments worldwide over the past 10
years. As follow up to the Dakar World Education
Forum (26-28 April 2000), UNESCO has been
directing special attention to inclusive education as a
strategy to achieve the goal of “Education for All”. The
Section for Combating Exclusion through Education
(former Section for Special Needs Education) is
working on measures to include concerns of persons
with disabilities within the entire education sector. The
Section for Secondary Education, in collaboration with
International Working Group on Disability and
Development, is compiling successful examples of
inclusive secondary education provision. To develop
national capacities for inclusive education and
facilitate networking, UNESCO organized subregional
workshops for teacher educators in China, India and
Romania; additional workshops are planned in the
Dominican Republic, Latvia and Zimbabwe during
2001.
35. The International Initiative Against Avoidable
Disablement (IMPACT) is sponsored jointly by WHO,
UNDP and UNICEF. The Initiative aims to prevent and
reduce the causes of avoidable disability in countries
and, as a result, to alleviate poverty through sustainable
efforts at the community and international levels,
targeting rehabilitation as a key intervention in
reducing disability. Activities are carried out at the
country level by the Initiative foundations, established
in cooperation with interested professional, academic,
and non-governmental groups. There currently are 13
IMPACT foundations, located mainly in Asia, but also
including the East Africa IMPACT foundation and a
disability programme of the Palestine Authority,
funded by IMPACT resources.
36. The focus of the work of the World Bank is
promotion of economic opportunities and well-being of
poor people with disabilities and the management of
the social risks that they may face. The primary
objective in the work of the Bank is to mainstream
disability into its strategies, policies, programmes and
projects, as described in the “World Bank and
Disability” web site (http://www.worldbank.org). The
Bank is currently introducing disability concerns into
its “Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers” process19 and
has prepared technical notes on disability and poverty
in developing countries, with emphasis on education,
health, transport and telecommunications.
D. Activities of non-governmental
organizations
37. Disabled People’s International —
http://www.dpi.org — and its member organizations
work to promote disability issues as broad human
rights issues. The organization carries out its
promotional and advocacy activities by means of
partnership with Governments, the non-governmental
community and the private sector with a view to
promoting implementation of relevant United Nations
resolutions and agreed international standards
concerning persons with disabilities. Its World Council
and its international network, working in close
collaboration with Disability Awareness in Action —
http://www.daa.org.uk — and in partnership with
Disabled People’s International Europe and other
interested regional and national disability
organizations, launched a “Global Rights Campaign” to
promote awareness and support for elaboration of a
convention on the rights of disabled persons. During
2000, Disabled People’s International, in close
collaboration with other international disability
organizations affiliated with Disability Awareness in
Action, established a database of human rights
violations perpetrated against disabled persons.
Disabled People’s International, through its African

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regional member, the Pan-African Federation of the
Disabled, cooperates with activities in support
of the African Decade of Disabled Persons (2000-
2009). Inclusion International (http://www.inclusioninternational.
org/) has been active in promoting and
defending the human rights of people with intellectual
disabilities and the inclusion of a disability dimension
in international policy processes. Its recent work has
focused development issues and links between poverty
and disability. The independent European Disabilities
Forum (Forum européen des personnes handicapées),
acts as an umbrella organization representing
organizations for persons with disabilities to the
European Union and to European authorities. The
European Disabilities Forum lobbies members of the
European Union to include disability in their social
agendas and to monitor the implementation of
European Union initiatives in this regard. As a result of
the efforts of the Union, 2003 has been declared the
European Year of Disabled Citizens. In pursuing a
human rights, equality of opportunity agenda, the
Forum supports the proposed development of an
international convention on disability.
III. Progress in equalization of
opportunities by, for and with
persons with disabilities
A. International norms and standards
related to persons with disabilities
1. Selected national experience
38. Several Governments have reported on the
enactment of legislation addressing the rights of
persons with disabilities. Finland made a revision to its
constitution that entered into force on 1 March 2000,
which specifically recognizes the rights of persons with
disabilities. In April 2000, the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Northern Ireland set up a Disability
Rights Commission to advise the Government on
comprehensive enforceable civil rights for disabled
people. The Commission has four duties: to work
towards elimination of discrimination against disabled
people; to promote equalization of opportunities for
disabled people; to encourage good practice in the
treatment of disabled people; and to keep under review
the implementation of the 1995 Disability
Discrimination Act. In July 2000, the Republic of
Cyprus enacted a law providing for persons with
disabilities, which provides for general protection of
disabled persons, including the safeguarding of their
equal rights and equal opportunities and the promotion
of their social and economic integration. The law also
provides for establishment of a Rehabilitation Council
as an advisory body to Government. Lebanon adopted a
law concerning the rights of persons with disabilities
on 28 May 2000.
2. International cooperation
39. The principle of the universality of human rights
provides persons with disabilities with the fundamental
framework for the application of international norms
and standards to protect and promote their rights.
Within this framework, not only civil and political
rights, but also economic, social and cultural rights
should be promoted as an inalienable and integral part
of their human rights.20 In this sense the international
norms and standards relating to disability refer to the
spectrum of international norms that could promote a
broad human rights framework for the rights of persons
with disabilities, addressing disabling attitudinal,
environmental or economic realities affecting the lives
of the persons with disabilities.21 In brief, the
international normative system is becoming a complex,
dynamic web of interrelationships between
international norms — binding and non-binding —
national and international laws and various institutions.
These increasingly complex processes, institutional
arrangements and norms and standards form a nexus of
institutions and mechanisms that address the situation
of persons with disabilities and ways and means to
promote their rights.
40. General Assembly resolution 54/121 urged
relevant bodies and organizations of the United Nations
system to promote the rights of persons with
disabilities. A great deal of that work was carried out in
close collaboration with the Special Rapporteur on
Disability of the Commission for Social Development.
As noted briefly in his interim report (E/CN.5/2001/7),
the Special Rapporteur organized an international
seminar on human rights and disability, “Let The World
Know” (Stockholm, 5-9 November 2000). The report
on that seminar has been published on the “Persons
with Disabilities” web site at the United Nations —
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/stockholmnov2000.htm.
Seminar participants focused on means to make
international norms more accessible and to promote the

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rights of persons with disabilities. Participants
expressed the view that:
(a) United Nations human rights mechanisms
and their present constraints and potential for
adjudication of the human rights of persons with
disabilities have not been fully explored by legal
experts and advocates for the rights of persons with
disabilities;
(b) Accessibility to institutional resources for
utilizing legal, administrative or other official
procedures to adjudicate the rights of persons with
disabilities is vital;
(c) Improved access to and enhanced use by
national judicial systems, as appropriate, of relevant
international law in domestic courts is needed;
(d) Capacity-building in the disability
community as well as in other concerned sectors of
society is important in order to improve consideration
of disability rights issues in the judicial and
administrative forums and to promote general
awareness and inform both the disability community
and society as a whole about the human rights of
persons with disabilities;
(e) Networking among disability organizations
and their advocates with NGOs, academic institutions,
legal experts and practitioners can contribute to
creation of a sense of an integrated community of
interests, from which an agenda for action could be
formulated and priorities set to protect and promote the
rights of persons with disabilities.
41. To provide a forum for the exchange of views on
emerging issues concerning a broad human rights
framework and persons with disabilities and to identify
further options to promote their rights, on 9 February
2001, the Division for Social Policy and Development
of the Secretariat organized an Informal Consultative
Meeting on International Norms and Standards for
Persons with Disabilities. The meeting brought
together members of Permanent Missions and
substantive representatives of concerned
intergovernmental organizations, and the United
Nations system, as well as the non-governmental
community, for an exchange of views. The Special
Rapporteur on Disability, who chaired the meeting,
noted in his closing remarks that the focus of further
work should be on identifying: (a) what actions are
required to further the rights of persons with
disabilities; and (b) harmonizing options to promote
and protect the rights of persons with disabilities, for
which the elaboration of a convention represents a
special issue. He added that, as efforts are made to use
existing instruments to further more effectively the
rights of persons with disabilities in mainstream human
rights mechanisms, the issue of elaborating a
convention requires careful study. The report of the
meeting is available at the “Persons with Disabilities”
web site of the United Nations — http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/consultnyfeb2001.htm.
42. During the fifty-seventh session of the
Commission on Human Rights in April 2001, the
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights organized informal consultations on
human rights and disabilities with members of
Permanent Missions and delegates to the Commission,
including national human rights commissions,
representatives of intergovernmental organizations,
United Nations bodies and organizations as well as
NGOs and national institutions. The consultation
reaffirmed the importance of the human rights
dimension in issues related to disability and
recommended a strengthened link between the
activities of the Special Rapporteur on Disability, the
High Commissioner for Human Rights and the
Commission on Human Rights. The consultations
provided a forum for national institutions to share
national experiences in protecting and promoting the
rights of persons with disabilities and further
strengthened efforts of the non-governmental
community to work more closely with international
human rights mechanisms and national human rights
institutions.
B. Global statistics and indicators
on disability
43. The critical role of disability statistics and
indicators is emphasized in the World Programme of
Action concerning Disabled Persons: “Monitoring and
evaluation should be carried out at periodic intervals at
the international and regional levels, as well as at the
national level. Evaluation indicators should be selected
by the United Nations Department of International
Economic and Social Affairs in consultation with
Member States and relevant United Nations agencies
and other organizations”.22 In 1993, the General
Assembly adopted resolution 48/96, which contains the

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Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities
for Persons with Disabilities — http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/dissre00.htm. Rule 20, National
monitoring and evaluation of disability programmes,
notes that “States are responsible for the
continuous monitoring and evaluation of the
implementation of national programmes and services
concerning the equalization of opportunities for
persons with disabilities”. In the third review and
appraisal of implementation of the World Programme
of Action (A/52/351; http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/
enable/disrawp0.htm), conducted in 1997, the
Secretary-General noted that establishing a set of
indicators to compare the situation of persons with
disabilities and non-disabled persons is recognized to
be of critical importance if States were to implement
rule 20 successfully.23
44. In recognition of this and other issues at its
twenty-eighth session, the Statistical Commission
requested that the United Nations Statistics Division
prepare a minimum set of tabulation items and core
tables on disability issues for consideration by an
expert group on the 2000 World Population and
Housing Census Programme.24 The Statistics Division
issued several recommendations for the 2000 round of
censuses, endorsed by an expert group in September
1996 and issued as a technical monograph.25 The
Secretary-General endorsed the recommendations,
specifically endorsing a disability approach, rather than
one focusing on impairments or handicaps, as it related
to the WHO International Classification of
Impairments, Disabilities and Handicaps.26 The
Statistical Commission, at its twenty-ninth session,
endorsed the principles and recommendations and
supported the new and revised sections.27 For the first
time, disability was included as a topic in the revision
of the Principles and Recommendations for Population
and Housing Censuses.28 The following broadly
defined categories were recommended: seeing, hearing,
speaking (talking), moving, body movement,
gripping/holding, learning, behaviour and personal
care.
45. With established principles on how to measure
the population with disabilities, the third review and
appraisal recognized four new issues of critical
importance to assess the situation of persons with
disabilities: “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”.29 Since the third review and appraisal,
however, there has been growing recognition that
consensus has not emerged as to how to statistically
identify the population with disabilities.
46. Although neither instrument officially adopted it,
both the World Programme of Action and the Standard
Rules recognized the definition of disability of WHO:
“any restriction or lack (resulting from an impairment)
of ability to perform an activity in a manner or within
the range considered normal for a human being”.30 The
Standard Rules notes that the term “... summarizes a
great number of differential functional limitations
occurring in any population in any country in the
world. People may be disabled by physical, intellectual
or sensory impairment, medical conditions, or mental
illness”.31 This was the approach endorsed by the
Secretary-General.32
47. In accordance with General Assembly resolution
54/122, a substantive accomplishment of the Statistics
Division was the completion of the “Guidelines and
principles for the development of impairment,
disability and handicap statistics”, a forthcoming
publication oriented to national statisticians to assist
them in responding to the growing demand for data on
disability. The publication addresses special issues
raised by collecting and compiling statistics on persons
with disabilities in national censuses and surveys, and
in their analysis and dissemination for policy purposes.
The expected publication date is late 2001.
48. The Statistics Division organized and hosted the
International Seminar on the Measurement of
Disability, in collaboration with UNICEF, the
Statistical Office of the European Communities
(Eurostat) and the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention of the United States of America (United
Nations, 4-6 June 2001). The seminar brought together
nearly 100 participants from all regions of the world.

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Participants included experts in disability measurement
from government and research institutions,
representatives of the disability community and policy
makers. The objectives of the meeting were: to review
and assess the current status of methods used in
population-based data collection activities to measure
disability in national statistical systems, with particular
attention to questionnaire design; to develop
recommendations and priorities to advance work on the
measurement of disability; and to contribute to
building a network of institutions and experts,
including producers and users of disability statistics, to
implement the developments in this field. A
publication will be issued as a report of the meeting.
49. With regard to national capacity-building, the
Statistics Division participated in the subregional
workshop on disability statistics for the eastern Asian
region (Shanghai, 9-14 April 2001) which was
organized by ESCAP, the United Nations Statistical
Institute for Asia and the Pacific and the National
Statistical Office of China. Participants came from the
following countries: China, Hong Kong (China),
Indonesia, Macao (China), Mongolia, Philippines,
Republic of Korea and Singapore. The objectives of the
workshop were to address the training needs of
national statisticians with responsibility for producing
disability statistics and of government personnel who
require such statistics for policy formulation. A second
aim was to bring together producers and users of
disability data in countries of the subregion for
dialogue and partnership on the production and use of
disability data. A similar training workshop is planned
for the African region in September 2001. The
workshop will have access to the United Nations
“Guidelines and principles for the development of
impairment disability and handicap statistics” to use
and to evaluate as a training resource.
50. In connection with efforts better to compile and
disseminate data on disability, the Statistics Division
published an Internet-enabled statistical reference and
guide to the available statistics, specifically, on
national sources of data, basic disability prevalence
rates, and questions used to identify the population
with disabilities.33 Work continues on finalization of
the United Nations Disability Statistics Database
(DISTAT-2). DISTAT is a global database, including
statistics, indicators and textual information from
national data collected on disability issues.
C. Accessibility of the United Nations
51. The General Assembly, in paragraph 15 of
resolution 54/121, expressed appreciation to the
Secretary-General for his efforts in improving the
accessibility of the United Nations for persons with
disabilities. It may be recalled that the report of the
Secretary-General on the capital master plan
(A/55/117) noted that the United Nations is a well-constructed
landmark building. Bringing the building
up to current standards and codes, including barrier-free
criteria, will take a number of years depending
upon which development option Member States decide
on. In the interim, accessibility provisions are
implemented in conjunction with needed short-term
maintenance and facilities development activities.
52. A study of the entire Headquarters facility was
conducted in 1998-1999 in preparation for the
proposed capital master plan for United Nations
headquarters. The study indicated that the Dag
Hammarskjöld Library building contained some of the
greatest obstacles to accessibility. A specific plan was
developed to correct these conditions. In September
2000, two sets of doors were altered to allow access
from the major corridor into the Library at the first
basement level. This included a power-assisted control.
Similarly, doors were altered on the first floor,
separating the Library from a connecting “neck”
permitting access to the only accessible at-grade doors
to the building. Additional items in the plan providing
for better access to the Library include installation of
Braille and audible indicators for the elevators, the
lowering of controls, call buttons, drinking fountains,
light switches and fire alarm controls, the installation
of Braille signage and the installation of lower desks in
the reading rooms for wheelchair accessibility. The
plan also focuses on the replacement of inaccessible
furniture in the reading rooms and stack areas and
improvements to general access throughout all the
floors for wheelchair accessibility. A complete
renovation of the first basement men’s and women’s
toilet rooms, which will allow for access for
wheelchairs, is scheduled for completion by 2002.
Modifications to the Dag Hammarskjöld Library
Auditorium include a wheelchair platform at the top
level and a new ramp and access corridor at the second
basement level to the stage. Toilet room renovations on
second floor of the Conference Building and the first
basement Public Lobby of the General Assembly
Building will begin during 2001, with completion

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anticipated for mid-2002. The renovations will focus
on wheelchair accessibility, signage and lighting.
D. United Nations Voluntary Fund
on Disability
53. The interim report to the thirty-ninth session of
the Commission for Social Development
(E/CN.5/2001/7) discussed the emerging role of the
United Nations Voluntary Fund on Disability as a
source of venture grants to further equalization of
opportunities in accordance with priorities identified by
the General Assembly in paragraph 4 of resolution
54/121. The interim report also discussed project cycle
activities of the Fund through late 2000. The current
section provides updated project cycle data
through June 2001. During the period of November
2000 to June 2001 the Fund provided an additional
US$ 159,676 in grants to six disability-related projects.
Projects supported during the period (see annex) were
implemented by the non-governmental community
(with appropriate endorsement and in cooperation with
concerned governmental bodies or organizations) in
Africa and in Central and Eastern Europe. NGOs
continue to make important and valued contributions to
the equalization of opportunities by, for and with
persons with disabilities by means of catalytic and
innovative projects in capacity-building and
institutional development. Several projects deal with
pilot (and innovative) action in their respective
countries, while others focus on technical exchanges of
skills and knowledge and establishment and
development of networks for disability action.
1. Accessibility
54. The importance of information and
communication technologies for development was
considered at the highest levels of the international
community during 2000. This is evident in the United
Nations Millennium Declaration (resolution 55/2) and
in the Ministerial Declaration of the Economic and
Social Council on the role of information technology in
the context of a knowledge-based global economy.34
Moreover, the United Nations Standard Rules on the
Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with
Disabilities provides, in rule 5, that “States ... develop
strategies to make information services and
documentation accessible for different groups of
persons with disabilities”. While rule 5 does not set
forth specific and binding measures to promote
accessibility, it continues to provide practical guidance
for drafting policy options and technical design
standards in the twenty-first century.
55. A major project accomplishment during the
period under review was the successful completion of
the first Latin American Seminar on Strategies for
Implementing the Standard Rules in relation to Internet
Accessibility (Mexico City, 4-7 June 2001) —
http://www.worldenable.net/mexico2001/default.htm.
The seminar was the initiative of Fundación Mexicana
de Integración Social, and the Government of Mexico
(Sistema Nacional para el Desarrollo Integral de la
Familia). The seminar brought together nearly 30
participants from 20 Latin American and Spanish speaking
Caribbean countries to review and discuss
issues and trends in Internet-enabled goods and
services in the Americas and to consider their
implications for further implementing international
norms and standards related to equalization of
opportunities for persons with disabilities. The seminar
directed special attention to issues of Internet
accessibility and usability for all. Seminar participants
were knowledgeable and experienced and included
specialists in their individual capacity from
governmental offices, NGOs and the private sector; all
participants had a disability or direct experience of
disability. Participation was at a high level, engaged
and challenging in the consideration of issues, trends
and options for further action. The seminar venue was
provided by excellent facilities of Tecnológico de
Monterrey — Campus Ciudad de México, in particular
its Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de
Monterrey. A representative of the Government of
Mexico, the president of the National Institute of
Social Development, opened the seminar. Other
resource persons from Mexico included representatives
of Government’s “E-Mexico” initiative (Secretaría de
Comunicaciones y Trasportes) and its “Civil society”
initiative (Secretaría de Gobernación), a representative
of Microsoft de Mexico and representatives of
advocacy and service organizations in the disability
field. Building on the substantive exchanges and
workshops, seminar participants formulated country
and subregional strategic plans to further realize
Internet accessibility for all in Latin America and the
Caribbean and adopted a declaration outlining a
strategic framework on Internet accessibility in terms
of policy advocacy, training and technical exchanges,
pilot action and establishment of an open and

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democratic network to promote Internet accessibility in
the Americas. The seminar obtained additional support
from the Opera Software Corporation —
http://www.opera.com — which granted the seminar
organizers a license to include a copy of its Spanish
language browser on CD-ROM compilation of seminar
proceedings.
56. In the project pipeline, awaiting final approval, is
a United Nations Voluntary Fund-assisted project to
promote awareness and capacities for “lean
approaches” to accessible information and
telecommunication technologies in the entire Central
and Eastern European subregion. A subregional
workshop on “Internet Accessibility for All” is planned
at Ljubljana, Republic of Slovenia, from
3 to 6 September 2001, in conjunction with the sixth
European Conference for the Advancement of
Assistive Technology, which is being hosted by
Institute of Rehabilitation of the Republic of
Slovenia.35 The workshop will provide a forum for
exchanges of knowledge and national experiences in
promotion of information and communication
technology for development. The workshop is being
organized in parallel with the Association for the
Advancement of Assistive Technology in Europe
conference in order to leverage substantive exchanges
on issues and trends related to assistive devices to
obtain new insights on effective promotion of
accessible information and communication technology
for all. The workshop is expected to produce as a final
product a strategic framework for analysis and
planning of accessible ICT in the Central and Eastern
European subregion. The workshop is expected to
facilitate establishment of a network of excellence to
promote awareness and build national capacities
related to accessible ICT.
2. Social services and safety nets
57. “Social services for all” is one of the priority
themes of the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme
of Action of the World Summit for Social
Development. In the context of a broad human rights
framework, achieving social services for all assumes
special importance: social services are essential
investments in the development of human potential,
they can further social inclusion and can promote full
and effective participation on the basis of equality. For
instance, a successful United Nations Fund-assisted
project in Uganda implemented by People with
Disabilities, Uganda (an NGO) in cooperation with the
Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development,
developed and tested practical and low-cost approaches
to identify and assess children with disabilities to
provide training to selected parents in Kampala and
Mpigi districts. One result of the project was
identification of many more children with disabilities
than previously thought — an unidentified group
lacking the means to obtain basic social services. A
follow-up project assisted by the United Nations Fund
will focus on further improvements in identification
and assessment of children with special needs and on
community approaches to treat more children. This will
include systematic development of community support
structures and development and testing of training
materials to ensure the sustainability of social services
for disabled children and their families in Uganda.
58. An emerging area of concern related to the
situation of children and adults with disabilities and
their families is de-institutionalization. This is
particularly true in countries in transition in Central
and Eastern Europe and has constituted a focus of
United Nations Fund-assisted pilot efforts of the nongovernmental
community, in cooperation with the
concerned governmental offices, during the reporting
period. The data suggest a complex process of moving
from institutional approaches to care to community based
social services; exchanges of knowledge and
experience are advantageous.
59. An initiative of the non-governmental community
in Hungary seeks to develop community-based social
services for persons with psychiatric disabilities — a
key issue for this invisible and often highly
disadvantaged social group.36 The Soteria Foundation,
Budapest, in cooperation with the Ministry of Social
Affairs and local departments of social services will
develop pilot day care services for previously
institutionalized persons with mental health problems.
It is expected that a practical and effective model will
be provided that other countries with economies in
transition may wish to consider when formulating their
own plans and programmes.
60. Other United Nations Fund-assisted projects
awaiting final approvals address de-institutionalization
through integrated schooling for disabled persons. Pilot
actions will not only confront architectural barriers to
accessibility but also psychosocial and cultural barriers
to the participation of people with disability in social
life. The data suggest that providing integrated

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education for children with disabilities is a primary
mechanism to prevent parents from sending their
disabled children to institutions; integrated education
eases the transition from institutional life to life in the
family and community as well. In Albania, the
Albanian Disability Rights Foundation, in cooperation
with Ministry of Education and local authorities will
promote inclusive education for children with
disabilities in Durres for the school year beginning in
September 2001. The purpose of the project is to pilot
the establishment of inclusive education, based on
integrative education concepts. One school in Durres
will be made accessible and teachers, students and
parents trained in inclusive education. National media
activities to raise awareness of disability issues will be
organized and the Government will be encouraged to
implement legislation on inclusive education for
children with disabilities. In Bulgaria, the Institute for
Social Policy and Social Work, in cooperation with
Ministry of Education and the municipal government
of Smolyan, will develop and test innovative assistance
to children with sensory and developmental problems,
based on integrative education concepts. A holistic
approach to inclusion will be developed and, in
addition to the provision of direct services, the project
will focus on building the capacities of the
professionals involved, developing parental attitudes
and skills in bringing up disabled children and lifting
the social stigma associated with disability.
E. Development Account for the biennium
2000-2001
61. As described in the interim report to the thirty-ninth
session of the Commission for Social
Development (E/CN.5/2001/7), one of the 16 approved
projects for the Development Account for the biennium
2000-2001, “Project H”, involves capacity-building
and institutional development for equalization of
opportunities for persons with disabilities. The project
has three priority areas for action: (a) accessibility,
(b) sustainable livelihoods and safety nets and
(c) promoting a broad framework of international
norms and standards relating to disability.
1. Current activities
62. One of the ongoing Development Account assisted
projects is being implemented by the
Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
(ESCWA) and involves research, training and capacity building
for accessible environments, using the
municipality of Aley, Lebanon, as case study. Aley was
selected since it was a prominent tourist resort in
Lebanon although a great deal of municipal
infrastructure was destroyed during the civil
disturbances. In an effort to resume its role as centre
for tourism, the municipality of Aley is currently
renovating its city centre so that it will offer reasonable
levels of accessibility for all. ESCWA and the Aley
municipality have conducted many meetings to set a
strategy on how to conduct the renovation.
Accordingly, a section of the old souks (public
markets) and the Serial (a public building) have been
selected as areas of intervention. The souks stretch
along two long streets where the main commercial and
recreational activities occur. Intervention here will
require tackling the issue of accessibility on an urban
scale. Streets, walkways and crossings will be adjusted
taking standards for accessibility into consideration.
The Serial is a public building owned by the Ministry
of Interior. It houses a number of government offices,
including the offices of the municipality. It has been
designed and constructed with no concern for access or
use by persons with disability. Universal design
standards will be applied onto the existing structure
and modifications will be carried out accordingly. The
efforts of ESCWA thus far reveal that considerable
technical intervention is in fact needed by, and is
continuously being requested by, the municipality;
intervention going beyond that allowed in the original
design of the project. This may involve a review for
further expansion later. The project initiative in Aley
will serve as a model both for Lebanon and for other
interested countries and territories in the region,
particularly when accessibility intervention could be
initiated at a local level and could be replicated at a
national scale. The results of this project will be shared
by means of a subregional training workshop with
interested neighbouring countries and authorities where
there is great interest but limited national capacity for
accessible environments.
63. A major project accomplishment during the
period under review was the rapid design, organization
and conduct of a pilot seminar/training workshop
organized by the Economic and Social Commission for
Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) on leadership training
for women with disabilities to further international
norms and standards. The workshop was proposed in
April 2001 as part of the larger “Asia-Pacific Summit

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of Women Mayors and Councillors” (Phitsanulok,
19-22 June 2001). The project was designed so that a
sharper focus would be accorded to gender-based
approaches to development and the role of international
norms and standards in promoting equalization of
opportunities. The plan of operations for the project
was finalized in early May 2001 and approval followed
shortly thereafter. The seminar/workshop brought
together 10 women with disabilities from eight Asian
and Pacific countries, who also were full participants at
the parallel Asia-Pacific Summit. The seminar/
workshop focused on leadership training and the
development of the advocacy skills of women with
disabilities in order that they would be better able to
engage in dialogue and promote disability sensitive
policies, strategies and programmes with the mayors
and councillors participating at the Summit, with a
view to reinforcing disability concerns at local
government levels. As a result of the seminar/
workshop experience and participation in the Summit
proceedings and working groups, the women leaders
with disabilities contributed to improved understanding
of disability-sensitive and gender-responsive policies,
strategies and programmes of local governments. The
value of these joint exchanges and interventions is
evident in the consensus “Phitsanulok Declaration on
Advancement of Women in Local Government”
adopted by the summit at its closing session on 22 June
2001.
2. Pipeline proposals
64. Discussions are under way with representatives of
interested Governments as well as NGOs on further
implementation of Development Account Project H
(2000-2001). The discussions have focused on
technical exchanges on accessibility and on sustainable
livelihoods.
(a) Accessibility
65. As follow-up to the Development Account assisted
Asia-Pacific regional training workshop on
accessible tourism (Bali, Indonesia, 24-28 September
2000),37 which provided a forum for exchanging
knowledge and experience in barrier-free tourism and
identifying multi-sectoral policies and strategies to
promote it, a participant in that seminar has proposed
organizing a regional training workshop for Latin
America. The workshop proposal was drafted by the
Association for the Development of People with
Disabilities (APRODDIS), an NGO, in cooperation
with the National Council for the Integration of People
with Disabilities (CONADIS) and the Commission for
the Promotion of Peru (PromPeru). The workshop is to
take place in Lima in late 2001 and will focus on the
formulation of a strategic framework for accessible
tourism for all, training on the facilitation of equitable
tourism for all citizens and creating a network on
accessible tourism to encourage the generation of new
ideas and the exchange of information.
66. To further equalization of opportunities in social
life and development through accessible information
and telecommunication technologies in the Central
Asian subregion, a subregional expert seminar and
workshop on Internet accessibility for all is planned in
cooperation with the Academy of Management, under
the direction of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic
(fourth quarter 2001, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan). The
seminar will provide a forum for the exchange of
knowledge and national experiences in promotion of
information and communication technology for
development. In addition to formulating a strategic
planning framework for accessible information and
communication technology for all in the Central Asian
subregion, it is expected that the seminar/workshop
will establish a network of excellence to promote
awareness and to build national capacities, skills and
technologies in this field. The seminar will involve
participants from disability-related organizations and
Ministries responsible for technological development
in the five countries of Central Asia: Turkmenistan,
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
(b) Sustainable livelihoods
67. Drawing on research supported in part by a grant
from the United Nations Voluntary Fund on Disability,
the Institute for Social Development Studies, an NGO,
in cooperation with the National Development
Planning Agency of the Republic of Indonesia and
other concerned governmental departments and offices,
undertook a study of the effectiveness and
sustainability of United Nations-assisted community based
rehabilitation. The study was carried out
following the mid-1997 financial crisis in South-east
Asia with a view to examining the extent to which
prior technical cooperation had responded to the
changed economic and social conditions. The research
found that while technical cooperation activities had
continued to perform adequately following the

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scheduled completion of international cooperation, the
extent of the services established had not been realized
in other sectors. Discussions were held on better
approaches to planning and organizing social services
and promoting sustainable livelihoods in communities.
The proposal is at an advanced stage of formulation,
including inputs from research scholars and
practitioners with a view to organizing an intense
interregional exchange on the question as envisaged in
Development Account Project H (2000-2001). It is
envisaged that the venue for the exchange will be
South-east Asia in late 2001 and that it will provide a
forum for the exchange of knowledge and national
experiences between the world’s leading experts in
sustainable livelihoods, rehabilitation and the inclusion
and empowerment of disabled people.
IV. Regional cooperation for
equalization of opportunities
A. African Decade of Disabled Persons
(2000-2009)
68. The Economic and Social Council, in paragraph
14 of its resolution 2000/10, encouraged international
support for the African Decade of Disabled Persons to
promote equalization of opportunities by, for and with
persons with disabilities and to promote and protect
their human rights.
69. In support of the Decade, the United Nations
Voluntary Fund on Disability provided a grant to the
East Africa Federation of the Disabled to organize a
meeting on “Universal design and the United Nations
Standard Rules in the African Decade of Disabled
Persons” (Nairobi, 7-10 November 2000). One result of
the meeting was formulation of a strategic plan for the
Federation’s activities during the African Decade.
Major issues to be addressed include the need for
capacity-building, promotion of awareness of the
Decade, improved integration of all people with
disabilities in the societies in which they live, poverty
eradication and building networks, partnerships and
alliances in support of the Decade.
70. The Pan-African Federation of the Disabled, an
NGO, recently drafted a framework paper on the
African Decade. The paper outlines a proposed set of
long-term objectives for the Decade, expected
outcomes, areas for priority actions as well as ideas on
the overall organization and monitoring of the Decade
at continental and regional levels.
71. The proposed long-term objectives of the African
Decade include: poverty alleviation among people with
disabilities and their families; awareness-raising on
disability; putting disability on the social, economic
and political agenda of African Governments;
spearheading the implementation of the United Nations
Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities
for People with Disabilities; and ensuring the use of the
United Nations Standard Rules as a basis for policy and
legislation. The expected outcomes of the Decade
include governmental priority for the rehabilitation,
educational and employment needs of persons with
disabilities.
72. The priority areas to be addressed focus on Rules
16, 7 and 3 of the United Nations Standard Rules on
the Equalization of Opportunities for People with
Disabilities:
(a) Concerning poverty alleviation (Rule 16),
OAU Member States are requested to commit
themselves to include disability matters in the regular
budgets of all national, regional and local government
bodies; make provision for disability concerns in
poverty reduction programmes and use access to basic
services for persons with disabilities as indicators of
progress. International agencies as well as NGOs are
requested to include the disability dimension in all
development programmes;
(b) Concerning employment (Rule 7), OAU
Member States are requested to provide equal
opportunities for productive and gainful employment in
the labour market to disabled persons in both rural and
urban areas;
(c) Concerning rehabilitation and appliances
(Rule 3), OAU Member States are requested: to ensure
the provision of rehabilitation services to children,
women and men with disabilities so that they may
reach and sustain their optimum level of independence
and functioning and to ensure the development and
supply of support services, including assistive devices
and interpretation services for persons with disabilities.
73. As the challenges and the long-term objectives
expressed in the framework paper are many and wide
in scope, the Pan-African Federation of the Disabled
has also drafted a business plan, which focuses
primarily on creating awareness and on generating

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commitments from African Governments to address
disability issues. The business plan aims to empower
persons with disabilities and their organizations so that
they can act as strong advocates for their human rights
and their rights to participation and equal opportunities
in society; and to provide planning and monitoring
tools and training opportunities for governmental
officials so that they are better able to incorporate the
disability dimension into the work of their respective
departments. The business plan is divided into two
four-year phases: the first phase focuses on building
the capacity of disabled persons’ organizations and
their leadership as well as of African Governments.
The second four-year phase continues the focus on
capacity-building but also includes several important
service delivery components.
74. The objectives identified in the business plan
envisage that, by the end of 2009, the Pan-African
Federation of the Disabled, in collaboration with
Governments and other stakeholders, will have
developed capacities and implemented mechanisms to
facilitate the integration of disability issues into
governmental development strategies, planning and
programmes, as well as the coordination, monitoring
and evaluation of these activities.
75. If these objectives are pursued the Pan-African
Federation of the Disabled would expect the following
outcomes:
(a) A minimum of 200 senior officials working
in the African disability sector’s continental and
regional offices to plan, coordinate, monitor and
evaluate disability programmes as well as train
government officials on project management in the
disability sector by June 2003;
(b) Business plans for the Pan-African
Federation of the Disabled and the five African
disability organizations, to be established by December
2003. These business plans will enhance effectiveness
and efficiency as well as facilitating marketing and
fund-raising;
(c) An estimated 200 elected leaders and senior
managers from African disabled people’s organizations
should be trained in enhanced skills in leadership,
advocacy, fund-raising and strategizing by December
2003;
(d) Improved organizational structures and
work systems for the Pan-African Federation of the
Disabled and five continental disability-specific
organizations in Africa, to be in place by December
2004;
(e) Key performance indicators for African
disability programmes, to be elaborated by June 2005;
(f) A model for promoting awareness and for
marketing plans for African disabled people’s
organizations, to be drafted by June 2005;
(g) Monitoring and evaluation systems for
disabled people’s organizations and interested African
Governments to be operational by June 2007;
(h) An operational database on African
disability legislation, policies, programmes, research
and related topics to be established by December 2004;
(i) Improved coordination of inclusive and
exclusive disability programmes between governmental
departments, disabled people’s organizations and
Governments, to be in place by June 2009;
(j) The Pan-African Federation of the Disabled
involvement in participatory and emancipatory
research and information dissemination, which is
expected to empower disabled persons and their
organizations to be operational by June 2008;
(k) Better integration of, and participation by,
disabled persons in regional, national and local
development programmes, such as poverty alleviation/
eradication programmes, educational programmes and
sustainable income-generating programmes, by
December 2009;
(l) Increase of 50 per cent in the involvement
of women, youth and parents of disabled children in
the leadership of disabled people’s organizations by
June 2009, either within or outside current
organizational structures;
(m) Sustainable training programmes consisting
of organizational structures, curricula, learning
materials, teaching aids and accreditation systems for
(i) sign language instructors, (ii) sign language
interpreters, (iii) students with sign language as their
first language and (iv) students with sign language as
their second language, to be available by December
2004.

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B. Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled
Persons (1993-2002)
76. By Economic and Social Commission for Asia
and the Pacific (ESCAP) resolution 48/3, Member
States of the Commission proclaimed the Asian and
Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002, with
the goal of full participation and equality of persons
with disabilities in all aspects of life.
77. ESCAP organized a major review of progress in
implementing the targets of the Decade, “Campaign
2000 for the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled
Persons, 1993-2002” (Bangkok, 11-15 December
2000). Meeting participants adopted the Bangkok
Millennium Declaration on the Promotion of the Rights
of People with Disabilities in the Asian and Pacific
region. The key recommendations reflected
commitment to collaborative action towards the
fulfilment of the 107 targets for the implementation of
the Agenda for Action for the Asian Pacific Decade of
Disabled Persons and for the establishment, in
Thailand, of the Asian and Pacific Centre on Disability,
by 2002. Preparations were initiated for the
organization of the high-level intergovernmental
meeting to conclude the Asian and Pacific Decade of
Disabled Persons, to be held in Otsu City, Japan, in
October 2002. The meeting would focus on two main
areas: a review of the achievement of the goals of the
Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, in
particular fulfilment of the 107 strengthened targets for
the Agenda for Action for the Decade, and
consideration of a framework for action beyond the
Decade.
78. As follow-up to the Regional Training Workshop
on Disability Statistics (New Delhi, 7-11 February
2000), ESCAP organized the second subregional
workshop on disability statistics in Shanghai, from
9 to 14 April 2001, in cooperation with the United
Nations Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific
(SIAP) and the National Statistical Office of China.
One of the recommendations of the workshop was the
adoption of the International Classification of
Functioning, Disability and Health (ICIDH-2)
framework for the development of questions on
disability in the national censuses and in disability
surveys at agencies and organizations responsible for
data collection.
79. At the round-table forum on “Women with
Disabilities”, held during Campaign 2000, participants
raised a number of issues, including the fact that
women with disabilities often lack access to
information on the disability self-help movements, that
self-help groups for women with disabilities exist in
only a small number of countries and territories in the
ESCAP region and that basic human rights of many
women with disabilities often are limited. The data
available suggest that the situation for women and girls
with disabilities remains critical and that the review of
the preliminary analysis of the Beijing+5 outcome
document called on Governments to address the special
needs of disabled women and children with more
vigour. The High-level Intergovernmental Meeting to
review the regional implementation of the Beijing
Platform for Action, held in Bangkok in October 1999,
emphasized that the needs of women and children with
disabilities must be addressed within a broad human
rights framework in terms of policies, the law and
actual practice. Disabled women and girls form part of
one of the more marginalized groups in the Asian and
Pacific region and are most at risk of living in poverty.
Less than 5 per cent of children and young persons
with disabilities have access to education and training;
and girls and young women face significant barriers to
participating in social life and development.
80. Since the inception of the Asian and Pacific
Decade of Disabled Persons (1993-2002), a number of
developing countries in the ESCAP region have made
progress in furthering the involvement of women with
disabilities in leadership roles, self-help organizations
of persons with disabilities and national coordinating
committees or similar bodies. Full and effective
participation of disabled women in decision-making
and in policy development and management is
premised on concerted practical efforts in public
information and capacity-building — training of
trainers in particular — so that women with disabilities
as well as disability advocates are aware of issues,
trends, norms and standards. In this context, the
Secretariat and ESCAP organized, in conjunction with
the Asia-Pacific Summit of Women Mayors and
Councillors, a seminar on advocacy and development
participation opportunities for women with disabilities
and disability advocates from selected ESCAP Member
States and an intensive leadership training workshop on
disability norms and standards and implications for
promotion of strategies, policies and programmes at
local governmental level to promote equalization of
opportunities by, for and with women with disabilities.
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for dialogue and opportunities for technical exchanges
among women mayors, councillors and similar officials
on development participation and the transformative
role of women in social life and development. Women
with disabilities and disability advocates attending the
Asia-Pacific Summit enhanced and informed the
Summit proceedings, offering information and
experience regarding effective measures to further full
participation and equality with special reference to
local governments. The final declaration of the
Summit, the “Phitsanulok Declaration on the
Advancement of Women in Local Government”,
contains consensus policy recommendations on
reinforcing a disability dimension in decision-making
and in local government.
V. Perspective framework for the
fourth review and appraisal and
emerging issues
81. As discussed in the interim report to the thirty-ninth
session of the Commission for Social
Development, the fourth review and appraisal of
implementation of the World Programme of Action
concerning Disabled Persons will mark the twentieth
year of international cooperation to implement that
instrument, as well as the tenth year since the end of
the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons, 1983-
1992.
82. On the basis of guidance provided by General
Assembly resolution 52/81, the Secretary-General
would anticipate that the fourth review and appraisal
will evaluate the extent to which structures are in place
to implement the World Programme in the context of
development. To the extent that these structures are not
in place, the next critical question is how are these
structures to be established. It is envisaged at least five
critical aspects of such structures will be reviewed and
appraised:
(a) First, the extent to which countries have
specific policies and programmes designed to facilitate
both community-based rehabilitation programmes and
the equalization of opportunities for persons with
disabilities is important. For instance, the third review
and appraisal (A/52/351) documented the fact that,
since the adoption by the General Assembly of the
Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities
for Persons with Disabilities in 1993, 85 per cent of
countries reported the existence of a national disability
policy.38 The next review will ascertain whether this
percentage has risen since 1997. The review will
examine the implementation and practical application
of norms and standards, as well as issues related to
international law, such as the feasibility of a new
international instrument on the rights of persons with
disabilities;
(b) Second, separate from policies and
programmes specifically targeted at persons with
disabilities, inclusion of the disability perspective in
policies and programmes designed to foster social and
economic development is critical. The third review and
appraisal revealed that out of 83 countries reporting,
roughly two thirds indicated they had passed specific
amendments referring to disabled persons’ rights
within general legislation, while 10 countries offered
protection for the disabled only under special
legislation. An increase in this number shows that the
legislative mechanisms of countries are becoming
models for inclusion of people with disabilities in all
facets of life. At its thirty-eighth session, the
Commission for Social Development, following its
consideration of the second monitoring report of the
Special Rapporteur on Disability on implementation of
the Standard Rules, recommended that the Secretary-
General “reinforce the disability dimension in
mainstream technical cooperation activities”, a fact
which demonstrates the importance of this aspect in
providing accessibility for all;39
(c) Third, the World Programme of Action
states that specific criteria for evaluation of progress
towards full participation and equality need to be
elaborated, with periodic monitoring at the
international, national and regional levels. Monitoring
refers to the practice of setting goals and objectives and
then establishing evaluation criteria to determine
whether the goals and objectives have been achieved.40
It is envisaged that the fourth review and appraisal will
assess the extent to which countries have established
specific goals and objectives for policies and
programmes aimed at equalization of opportunities and
criteria for evaluating progress towards those goals and
objectives;
(d) Fourth, countries need to gather data
periodically based on those evaluation criteria, thus
providing a means of measuring such criteria.
Indicators are those data elements that are believed to
provide the best measures of progress. For instance,

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countries can establish target goals for education and
employment related to gaps between people with and
without disabilities. Progress made by Governments
towards the establishment of specific and verifiable
indicators to meet goals and objectives will be
addressed;
(e) Finally, progress is being made in the
development of periodic monitoring systems to obtain
these indicators. The third review and appraisal
demonstrated that, in the four census rounds between
1960 and 1990, the number of countries including
disability questions in their census grew from 3 to 84.41
Progress in including disability questions in the 2000
census round as well as in surveys will be assessed.
83. In accordance with the World Programme of
Action and with Rules 5, 6, 7 and 8 of the Standard
Rules (Accessibility, Education, Employment and
Income Maintenance and Social Security, respectively),
the General Assembly encouraged Governments to
focus on accessibility, health, social services,
rehabilitation, employment and sustainable livelihoods
as priorities for action to further equalization of
opportunities.42 With this emphasis, the five critical
aspects of implementation structures will be examined
for the target areas for participation, as mentioned in
the Standard Rules. Thus, the existence of disability specific
policies and the incorporation of the disability
perspective into mainstream policies related to each
rule will be assessed, as will the implementation of
monitoring, indicators and data gathering structures
relevant to each rule. The issues of data and statistics
on disability, highlighted in the earlier section of the
current report, will also be addressed. Progress to
harmonize disability definitions and to measure the
components of accessibility will be examined.
84. Just as the specific target areas will be assessed,
their applicability to specific vulnerable populations
such as women, children, persons in poverty and
persons with mental health issues will be evaluated. At
its thirty-eighth session, the Commission for Social
Development urged that Governments,
intergovernmental organizations and NGOs place
special emphasis on “... the human rights of persons
with disabilities, children with disabilities and their
families, gender aspects, in particular the issue of
discrimination against girls and women with
disabilities, and the situation of persons with
developmental and psychiatric disabilities, with a focus
on integrating such persons into society.”43
Accordingly, the fourth review and appraisal will
consider disability issues for women and for a number
of social groups, such as persons living in poverty,
ageing populations and children. The report, however,
will also consider populations comprising what has
been called the “new universe of disability” — persons
with mental health issues and those with active, acute
conditions.44
85. Emerging issues related to medical research and
disability may also be considered in the planned fourth
review and appraisal. For instance, traditionally
disability advocates have focused on serving persons
with a particular identifiable infirmity, such as Usher’s
Syndrome. As more information about genetics
becomes known, other issues are emerging, including
genetic susceptibility to disability-related conditions,
privacy and ethical issues.
86. The fourth review and appraisal will examine the
context of demographic, economic, social and
technological trends that have occurred since the end of
the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons, in the
light of data emerging from the 2000 census round.
Some of the trends to be examined include: a general
worldwide movement towards adoption of Internet
technologies; adoption by several countries,
particularly in Central and Eastern Europe, of market oriented
economies; increasing awareness and concern
over the environment; a general move towards
accountability for results in governmental programmes;
and global ageing.
87. On the basis of currently available data, it is
expected that the fourth review and appraisal will
highlight several important developments in the field
of disability at regional and interregional levels:
(a) Identification in General Assembly
resolutions 52/82 and 54/121 of specific priorities for
action to further equalization of opportunities, in the
light of findings of the third review and appraisal
(A/52/351);
(b) Active promotion and increased use of
state-of-the-art and accessible communications
technologies for distance collaboration, for instance
during the first Latin American Seminar on Internet
Accessibility (Mexico City, 4-7 June 2001);
(c) Successful completion of the Asian and
Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons (1992-2002) and

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initiation of the African Decade for Disabled Persons
(2000-2009);
(d) Adoption by the World Heath Assembly of a
new International Classification of Functioning,
Disability and Health (ICIDH-2) in May 2001;
(e) Improved harmonization of monitoring
efforts, as witnessed in recommendations of the United
Nations Statistical Division on disability-related
questions for the 2000 round of censuses and the
treatment of data and classification issues at the
“International Seminar on the Measurement of
Disability (United Nations, 4-6 June 2001).
Notes
1 Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of the United
States of America also has resulted in increased interest
on the part of the information and communications
industry in accessibility, which is reflected in standard
product offerings; see “Tech vendors seek access for
all”, Jennifer Jones, InfoWorld (22 June 2001) —
http://iwsun4.infoworld.com/articles/fe/xml/01/06/25/
010625feedge.xml.
2 “Communication from the European Commission to the
Member States establishing the guidelines for the
Community initiative EQUAL concerning transnational
cooperation to promote new means of combating all
forms of discrimination and inequalities in connection
with the labour market”, Official Journal of the
European Communities (5.5.2000).
3 Pursuant to resolution 47/3 of 14 October 1992.
4 See “Proposal for a Council decision on the European
Year of People with Disabilities 2003”; and “Attitudes of
Europeans towards Disability” — http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/soc-prot/disable/news_en....
5 The “Disability and Development” workshop (Manila,
13-14 October 1999) was co-sponsored by Government
of Finland — http://www.adb.org/documents/news/1999/
nr1999090.asp.
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 See A/S-21/5/Add.1; “Key actions for the further
implementation of the Programme of Action of the
International Conference on Population and
Development”, paras. 31 and 35.
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,
annexes I and II.
9 Resolution S-23/3 of 10 June 2000, paras. 5 and 63. It
may be recalled in this connection that the Beijing
Platform for Action addresses the situation of women
with disabilities in several of its strategic objectives:
Women and poverty; Education and training; Women and
health; Violence against women; Women and armed
conflict; Women and the economy; Institutional
mechanisms for the advancement of women; Human
rights of women; Women and the media; and The girl child:
see, for instance, “Women with disabilities;
lessons of reinforcing the gender perspective in
international norms and standards”, by María-Cristina
Sará-Serrano (November 1999) — http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/women/wwdis2.htm.
10 Report of the World Summit on Social Development,
Copenhagen, 6-12 March 1995 (United Nations
publication, Sales No. E.96.IV.8), chap. I, resolution 1,
annex I.
11 Resolution S-24/2, of 1 July 2000; annex, commitment 6
and para. 92, which reaffirms the “Dakar Framework for
Action: Education for All”, adopted at the World
Education Forum (Dakar, 26-28 April 2000).
12 Report of the United Nations Conference on Human
Settlements (Habitat II), Istanbul, 3-14 June 1996
(United Nations publication, Sales No. E.97.IV.6),
chap. I, resolution 1, annex II.
13 A/S-25/2, chap. VII, sect. C, decision 2/1 — http://www.unchs.org/istanbul+5/declaration_cities.htm.
14 The Millennium Assembly of the United Nations —
http://www.un.org/millennium/. The home page uses
frames in its design and does not validate as HTML 4.1
transitional and thus is not accessible to persons with
disabilities.
15 A/54/2000, para.12 — http://www.un.org/millennium/sg/report/.
16 Resolution 55/2 of 8 September 2000 — http://www.un.org/millennium/toc.htm.
17 Resolution 44/25 of 20 November 1989 — http://www.unicef.org/crc/crc.htm.
18 Research of the International Development Research
Centre of Canada indicates that some 600,000 women
die annually in developing countries from treatable post childbirth
complications; see http://www.idrc.ca/reports/read_article_english.cfm?article_num=249.
19 http://www.worldbank.org/html/extdr/pb/pbprsp.htm.
20 “Compilation of international norms and standards
relating to disability” — http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/discom00.htm.

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21 Both de jure and de facto discrimination exist in many
forms, ranging from subtle irritants to invidious
discrimination, such as denial of equal opportunities for
education, employment, shelter and public services as
well as discrimination in social, cultural and political
life.
22 A/37/351/Add.1 and Add.1/Corr.1, annex, sect. VIII,
para. 194 — http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/
diswpa00.htm.
23 Measurement of a population that is deemed
representative of persons with disabilities was
recognized as important in accomplishing this goal.
Because only after such a population is identified in data
sources can indicators comparing persons with
disabilities and non-disabled people be assessed. For
instance, to compare unemployment rates between
people with disabilities and non-disabled people in a
census or a survey, a population must be identified as
having disabilities.
24 Official Records of the Economic and Social Council,
1995, Supplement No. 8 (E/1995/28), para. 56.
25 See United Nations Secretariat, Department for
Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis
Statistics Division, Part Two: Topics and Tabulation for
Population Censuses (ST/ESA/STAT/AC/51/2).
26 E/CN.3/1997/14, para. 29; and World Health
Organization, International Classification of
Impairments, Disabilities, and Handicaps: A Manual
of Classification Relating to the Consequences of
Disease (Geneva, World Health Organization
ISBN 92 4 154126 1, 1980).
27 Official Records of the Economic and Social Council,
1997, Supplement No. 4 (E/1997/24), para. 55.
28 United Nations Secretariat, Department of International
Economic and Social Affairs, Principles and
Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses
(ST/ESA/SER.M/67/Rev.1).
29 A/52/351, para. 48.
30 World Health Organization, International Classification …,
op. cit.
31 Resolution 48/96, annex, para. 17.
32 However, in a review of different disability models,
Barbara Altman notes that many models view disability
as an outcome of the interaction of persons with a
functional limitation and their environments, not at the
level of functional limitations — Barbara M. Altman,
“Disability definitions, models, classification schemes
and applications”, chap. 3, in Gary L. Albrecht,
Katherine D. Seelman and Michael Bury (eds.)
Handbook of Disability Statistics (Thousand Oaks (CA),
Sage Publications, 2001), pp. 97-122. Taking this
argument further, the definition for disability used by an
international non-governmental organization, which has
consultative status with the Economic and Social
Council, Disabled Persons International explicitly views
disability as caused by environmental factors.
“Disability”, Department of Public Information notes,
“is the loss or limitation of opportunities to take part in
the normal life of the community on an equal level with
others due to physical and social barriers”.
33 The Internet site for United Nations disability statistics
is located at http://esa.un.org/unsd/disability/. The site
does not however validate as HTML 4.1 transitional and
thus poses accessibility problems to persons with
disabilities.
34 Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-fifth
Session, Supplement No. 3 (A/55/3), chap. III, para. 17.
35 The Conference site is located at http://aaate2001.irrs.
si/.
36 The project responds to Economic and Social Council
resolution 2000/10 of 27 July 2000, which, in paragraph
4, calls for special emphasis to be accorded to: “the
situation of persons with developmental and psychiatric
disabilities, with a focus on integrating such persons into
society”.
37 http://www.unescap.org/decade/tourism.htm.
38 A/52/351, para. 27.
39 Economic and Social Council resolution 2000/10.
40 Basic parameters for indicators established the World
Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons —
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/dpb19992d.htm.
41 A/52/351, para. 45.
42 Resolution 54/121 of 17 December 1999, para. 4.
43 Economic and Social Council resolution 2000/10,
para. 4.
44 E/CN.5/2001/7, para. 72.

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Annex
Projects supported by the United Nations Voluntary Fund
on Disability
1 November 2000 to 30 June 2001, by region
A. Africa
1. People with Disabilities, in cooperation with the Ministry of Gender, Labour
and Social Development: development and testing of innovative social services
for children with disabilities and their families, Kampala and Mpigi districts
(Uganda)
2. Society of Abilities for the Disabled, in cooperation with the Ministry of
Education and the Arab Gulf Programme for United Nations Development
Organizations (AGFUND): integrated school for the disabled, Kampala
B. Central and Eastern Europe
1. Soteria Foundation, in cooperation with the Ministry of Social Affairs: Daycare
centre service for people with mental health disorders, Budapest
(Hungary)
2. Institute for Social Policy, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education:
social inclusion of children with disabilities through the establishment of a
pilot centre for integrated education, Smolyan (Bulgaria)
3. Albania Disability Rights Foundation, in cooperation with the Ministry of
Education: the promotion of inclusive education for children with disabilities,
Durres (Albania)
4. Institute for Rehabilitation, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education,
Science and Sport and the Association for the Advancement of Assistive
Technology in Europe: Central and Eastern European subregional workshop on
“Internet Accessibility for All” (Ljubljana, 3-6 September 2001)