UN Human Rights Treaties

United Nations A/AC.265/2004/1
General Assembly Distr.: General
10 March 2004
English
Original: Russian
04-26523 (E) 180304 180304
*0426523*
Ad Hoc Committee on a Comprehensive and Integral
International Convention on Protection and Promotion
of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities
Third session
New York, 24 May–4 June 2004
Letter dated 3 March 2004 from the Permanent Representative of
the Russian Federation to the United Nations addressed to the
Secretary-General
I have the honour to transmit to you herewith the recommendations adopted on
the basis of the conclusions reached at the international seminar on “Social
integration of youth with disabilities in the countries of the Commonwealth of
Independent States” (St. Petersburg, 21-24 December 2003).
I should be grateful if you would have the text of the recommendations
circulated as a document of the third session of the Ad Hoc Committee.
(Signed) Sergey Lavrov

A/AC.265/2004/1
Annex to the letter dated 3 March 2004 from the Permanent
Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations
addressed to the Secretary-General
[Original: Russian]
United Nations — Commonwealth of Independent States
Recommendations of the seminar on “Social integration of youth
with disabilities in the countries of the Commonwealth of
Independent States”*
(Saint Petersburg, 22-24 December 2003)
Based on the discussion of the information presented concerning the situation
of disabled youth in the States members of the Commonwealth of Independent
States (CIS), the seminar participants note:
• The similarity of problems in the CIS countries
• The existence of interesting national approaches to the integration of disabled
youth at the country level
• The advisability of developing information-sharing in this field in the CIS
region
• The need to strengthen cooperation and partnership between Government
bodies and public associations in implementing programmes of work with
young persons in the CIS member States
• The need to change the paternalistic tendencies in goal- and task-setting when
implementing programmes for the social integration of youth with disabilities
and to focus on the socialization of disabled youth
I. Environmental accessibility
The overall strategy of State policy on disabled youth must be based on
removing barriers to social integration. In this connection, consideration must be
given to:
(a) Accessibility of information and communication technologies;
(b) Introduction of modern equipment (means of communication, etc.);
(c) Accessibility of the built and domestic environments and means of
transport.
__________________
* The seminar was organized by the Division for Social Policy and Development of the
Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat in cooperation
with Governments and non-governmental organizations of the CIS countries.

A/AC.265/2004/1
II. Information
1. At the national level, there is a need to create a database on disabled youth and
key related problems in the near future.
2. It is necessary to prepare periodic national reports or include in existing
national reports sections devoted to the problems of disabled youth.
3. Socio-demographic characteristics of disabled persons must be reflected in
current statistical reporting. Disabled youth must be singled out as a special social
group in specialized bodies’ statistics.
4. At the regional level, there is a need to support activities by public associations
of the CIS member States aimed at developing information potential and the
capacity of means of communicating with young persons and non-governmental
organizations, including on the problems of disabled youth.
III. Employment
At the national level, social policy in respect of disabled persons, including
youth with disabilities, must pursue the goal of social integration and must be
differentiated based on the different groups of disabled persons. This policy must be
founded on social partnership between State and non-State structures. The most
important method of integrating disabled persons in society is employment in the
open labour market. At the same time, the problems of youth with disabilities,
including issues relating to their employment, must be incorporated in States’ youth
policies. To that end:
1. The legislative and legal and regulatory frameworks must encourage the
participation of disabled persons, including disabled youth, in general employment
while ensuring a non-discriminatory approach.
2. It is advisable to have a single database and a single vacancy bank for different
categories of disabled youth.
3. Non-governmental organizations should provide quality information support to
State policy on disabled youth, including on issues relating to the choice of
profession and to job placement.
4. All labour market actors (the State, employment services, local government
bodies, trade unions, employers, youth organizations, disabled persons’
organizations, etc.) should participate in developing and implementing employment
policy in respect of disabled youth.
5. Specialized enterprises should be maintained but should not constitute the
main solution to the problem of employment. In order to increase employers’
interest in creating special positions for disabled persons at mainstream enterprises,
there is a need to develop a system of incentives.
IV. Vocational training and retraining
In the majority of CIS countries, vocational training for youth with disabilities
is organized through specialized educational institutions. In order to create

A/AC.265/2004/1
institutional, social and legal conditions for education, vocational training and
retraining, it is necessary to develop national programmes that meet international
standards (the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with
Disabilities, which preclude discrimination against youth with disabilities in the
field of education). Programmes must ensure access by youth with disabilities to
education in mainstream educational institutions at all educational levels.
1. In the long term, efforts should be made to create an education system that is
not only multi-level and integrated, but also continuous.
2. This goal cannot be achieved without retraining educators to work with
disabled students. It is advisable to establish resource centres at specialized
educational institutions to organize special training for educators aimed at
developing the competencies and skills necessary for dealing with disabled persons.
3. In order to retrain educators, resource centres must enlist disabled persons with
teaching qualifications or experience.
4. The list of professions for training and retraining of disabled youth must
reflect local and regional labour markets.
5. In order to improve job placement for disabled youth, it is advisable to
establish in the long term the institution of “counsellor” (social workers or
educators) to accompany young persons with disabilities from school until they find
employment, provide them with vocational guidance and liaise with them, with their
families and with educational institutions and employers.
6. Identifying and meeting the “special educational needs” of disabled youth must
be the focus of attention at all levels of education.
7. The budget must be the main source of financing for educational programmes
for disabled youth. Taking into account the limited nature of budgetary resources, it
is necessary to strengthen efforts to attract extrabudgetary sources of financing, in
particular by creating conditions for attracting commercial structures.
V. Social innovations
1. It is necessary to develop and disseminate new principles for efforts to
socialize disabled youth based on access to and equal participation in State and
public youth programmes.
2. There is a need for State and non-State organizations working in partnership to
conduct information campaigns aimed at creating positive perceptions of disabled
persons, encouraging disabled youth to be active and making participation in
programmes for the social integration of disabled persons more prestigious.
3. The establishment of social centres for disabled youth at the national and local
levels should be encouraged in every way possible.
In view of these goals, the seminar participants consider it important:
• For CIS member States to cooperate on the problems of disabled youth,
including by exchanging experience and information and developing and
implementing joint programmes

A/AC.265/2004/1
• To recommend that the Consultative Council on Labour, Migration and Social
Protection of the Population of the CIS member States should consider
regularly the progress made in implementing the Agreement on cooperation in
solving the problems of disability and disabled persons, of 12 April 1996
• To agree with the initiative of the Regional Forum on Youth (Kyiv, September
2003) concerning the advisability of establishing a council for youth of the CIS
member States and with the proposal of Belarus on this issue
• To support the establishment of the association of youth organizations
“International Youth Centre”
• To request the CIS Executive Committee to send these recommendations to the
Governments of the CIS member States