UN Human Rights Treaties

UNITED A
NATIONS
General Assembly
Distr. LIMITED
A/C.3/46/L.21 6 November 1991
ORIGINAL: ENGLISH
Forty-sixth session THIRD COMMITTEE Agenda item 94 (a)
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT: QUESTIONS RELATING TO THE WORLD SOCIAL SITUATION AND TO YOUTH, AGEING, DISABLED PERSONS AND THE FAMILY
Australia. Austria. Bangladesh, Belgium. Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China. Colombia. Denmark, Dominican Republic Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador. Finland. France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Iceland. Indonesia. Italy. Lesotho, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Morocco. Myanmar, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania. Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Yugoslavia: draft resolution
Implementation of the World Programme of Action, concerning Disabled Persons and the United Nations Decade of Disabled
Persons
The General Assembly,
Recalling all its relevant resolutions, including resolution 37/52 of 3 December 1982, by which it adopted the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons, 1/ and resolution 37/53 of 3 December 1982, in which, inter alia, it proclaimed the period 1983-1992 the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons as a long-term plan of action,
Recalling also its resolution 43/98 of 8 December 1988, in which it urged Member States and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations concerned to translate into action at all levels, as appropriate, the
1/ A/37/351/ and Corr.l, annex, sect. VIII, recommendation 1 (IV),
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priorities for global activities and programmes during the second half of the Decade, such as those set forth in the annex to the resolution.
Recalling further the request to the Secretary-General made in its resolution 45/91 of 14 December 1990, to shift the focus of the United Nations programme on disability from awareness-raising to action, with the aim of achieving a society for all by the year 2010, and considering that appropriate means will be required to achieve this.
Recalling Economic and Social Council resolution 1991/9 of 30 May 1991, in which the Council invited Member States to review their policies and programmes with the aim of designing national annual priorities until the end of the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons in 1992 and concrete long-term strategies to ensure the full implementation of the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons beyond the Decade,
Welcoming the progress made by the ad hoc open-ended working group established by the Commission for Social Development to elaborate standard rules on the equalization of opportunities for persons with disabilities.
Noting with concern the deteriorating economic and social situation of many developing countries, which adversely affect vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities.
Aware of the need for new and concerted efforts, more vigorous and broader action, and measures at all levels to fulfil the objectives of the Decade,
Expressing its appreciation for the efforts of a number of Member States during the Decade to improve the conditions and well-being of persons with disabilities and the willingness of those States to involve persons with disabilities and their organization in all matters of concern to them.
Noting with appreciation the generous support to the Voluntary Fund for the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons provided by some Governments through voluntary contributions,
Aware of the important role national committees are playing in furthering the implementation of the World Programme of Action,
Noting with appreciation the convening of the International Meeting on Roles and Functions of National Coordinating Committees on Disability in Developing Countries at Beijing from 5 to 11 November 1990, and the adoption of the Guidelines for the Establishment and Development of National Coordinating Committees on Disability,
Encouraged by the emergence of organizations of persons with disabilities in all regions and their positive influence on the image and condition of persons with disabilities,

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Noting the important contributions being made by other non-governmental organizations in improving the status of persons with disabilities.
Recognizing the World Congress of Rehabilitation International, the World Congress of Disabled Peoples' International, the World Congress Blind Union, Independence '92, and other such important events to be held in 1992 as important activities helping both to mark the end of the Decade and to launch future efforts for the disabled.
Commending the work being carried out by the United Nations Statistical Office and welcoming its publication of the Disability Statistics Compendium* 2/
Having considered the report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons and the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons, 3/
Desirous of encouraging the continued and practical implementation of the World Programme of Action beyond the Decade,
1. Reiterates the need to achieve the objectives set out in the agenda
for action until the end of the United Nations Decade for Disabled Persons and
beyond, 4/ and the preliminary outline of a long-term strategy to the
year 2000 and beyond: a society for all, 5/ contained in the report of the Secretary-General on the feasibility study on alternative ways to mark the end of the Decade; 6/
2. Affirms that, in implementing the agenda for action, special attention should be given to persons with disabilities in developing countries;
3. Invites Member States, all organizations of the United Nations system and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to review and evaluate, with the active participation of persons with disabilities, their current disability-related policies, programmes and available services with a view to identifying areas in which major progress has been achieved, as well as obstacles encountered in the prevention, rehabilitation and equalization of opportunities;

2/ United Nations publication, Sales No. 90.XVII.17.
3/ A/46/366.
4/ A/45/470, sect. III.
5/ Ibid., sect. IV.
5/ A/45/470.

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4. Also invites all organizations of the United Nations system to incorporate the needs and concerns of persons with disabilities in their programmes and activities both as active agents and beneficiaries;
5. Stresses the need, within existing resources, for priority to be given to action-oriented programmes that will renew international consensus on and elicit a sustained political commitment by Member States to the implementation of the World Programme of Action beyond the Decade and will ensure the continued improvement of the situation of persons with disabilities;
6. Endorses the Beijing Guidelines for the Establishment and Development of national Coordinating Committees on Disability contained in document A/C.3/46/ :
7. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the Beijing Guidelines are disseminated as widely as possible and to assist Member States in undertaking follow-up measures, especially training seminars, to promote their implementation;
8. Also requests the Secretary-General to finalize during 1992 the review of the translation into the official languages of the United Nations of the terms "impairment", "disability", "handicap" and "disabled person" used in the World Programme of Action;
9. Endorses the Guidelines for the development of organizations of disabled persons,* and encourages Governments to consider these guidelines in their national programmes;

10. Calls upon Governments and bodies of the United Nations system to participate actively in the elaboration of the standard rules on the equalisation of opportunities for persons with disabilities and in this regard to pay attention to the particular needs of women with disabilities;
11. Bequests the Secretary-General to take due note of the recommendations of the expert group meetings held at Stockholm in 1987 7/ and at Jarveapaa, Finland, in 1990 that organizations of persons with disabilities be fully represented in all United Nations activities related to the Decade and beyond and, in particular, expert group meetings;
12. Welcomes the announcement by the Government of Canada to host a United Nations expert group meeting to be held in conjunction with Indepencence '92 at Vancouver, British Columbia, in April 1992 with the objective of drawing up a long-term strategy to implement the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons to the year 2000 and beyond, with a
* A/C.3/46/
2/ See CSDHA/DDP/GME/7 of 1 September 1987.

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particular focus on recommending practical and action-oriented measures that could be implemented in such fields as legislation and governing mechanisms, community-based rehabilitation, independent living, human rights aspects and economic independence and the creation of an effective international mechanism to coordinate and monitor activities from 1:92 and beyond;
13. Welcomes also the offer of the Government of the United States of America to host an international conference on disability, entitled "Setting National Disability Policies - An Agenda for Action";
14. Decides to devote four of its plenary meetings at its forty-seventh session to mark, at the appropriate global level, the conclusion of the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons;
15. Emphasizes the need to rationalize the work of and strengthen the Disabled Persons Unit of the Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs of the Secretariat, in order to enable it to carry out its role in the implementation, within existing resources, of the objectives of the Decade in an effective and efficient manner;
16. Reiterates its appeal to Governments for further voluntary contributions to enable the Disabled Persons Unit to strengthen its focal point function on issues related to disabilities;
17. Reaffirms that the resources of the Voluntary Fund should be used to support catalytic and innovative activities in order to implement further the objectives of the World Programme of Action within the framework of the Decade and beyond, with priority given, as appropriate, to programmes and projects of the least developed countries;
18. Invites Governments and non-governmental organizations to continue their contributions to the Voluntary Fund, and calls upon Governments and non-governmental organizations that have not yet done so to consider contributing to the Voluntary Fund so as to enable it to respond effectively to the growing demand for assistance;
19. Requests the Economic and Social Council at its next session to give its views on the continuation of the Voluntary Fund, with new terms of references in response to General Assembly resolution 45/91 and to submit its recommendations to the Assembly at its forty-seventh session;
20. Invites Member States to submit updated national reports to the Secretary-General on the implementation of the agenda for action;
21. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its forty-seventh session on the implementation of the present resolution under the item entitled "Social development".