UN calls for global assistance for persons with disabilities

The UN Secretary-General António Guterres is calling on the world, to work side-by-side with persons with disabilities to design and deliver solutions, based on equal rights in every country and community.

Speaking in New York, Mr. Guterres said the United Nations is leading by example through its Disability Inclusion Strategy, and by supporting Member States as they drive progress for persons with disabilities.

On his part, the Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Mr Navid Hanif, expressed concern for gaps to equal rights.

For his part, Navid Hanif, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), said, “inequalities, affecting persons with disabilities, manifest directly or indirectly, in economic, social, political and other aspects of life.”

Since its proclamation in 1992 by the United Nations General Assembly in resolution 47/3, the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) has been celebrated annually on 3 December around the world.

This year’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities reminds us that achieving the Sustainable Development Goals requires living up to the promise to leave no one behind, especially the 1.3 billion persons with disabilities worldwide.