3 December 2016 – The theme for the International Day of Persons with Disabilities in 2016 is “Achieving 17 Goals for the Future We Want”, noting the 2030 global development agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The essence of these goals lies in promoting and creating an inclusive, accessible and equitable world for everyone, leaving no one behind.
Since 1992, the Day, proclaimed by United Nations General Assembly resolution 47/3, has been observed on 3 December every year across the world. The aim is to promote the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities and raise awareness of benefits resulting from the integration of persons with disabilities in all aspects of life; political, social, economic and cultural.
This year the Day gains more significance. This year, 2016, marks the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights and Persons with Disabilities, as a human rights instrument with an explicit, social development dimension. In addition, in October 2016, the Sixty-third Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean Region adopted resolution EM/RC63/R.3 on “Improving access to assistive technology”.
The WHO/World Bank World report on disabilities shows that an estimated 15% of the world’s population lives with some form of disability. Based on these calculations, over 97 million persons are estimated to be living with disabilities in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.
The Day is an opportunity to reaffirm the commitment to continue to support national, regional and global efforts for inclusion and equal opportunities for persons with disabilities at all levels particularly through inclusive health systems and universal health coverage for all.
Related links
International Day of Persons with Disabilities
United Nations General Assembly resolution 47/3
EM/RC63/R.3 Improving access to assistive technology | Arabic | French
Better health for persons with disabilities
The Global Cooperation on Assistive Technology (GATE)
WHO global disability action plan 2014–2021: Better health for all people with disability
United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Assistive products and the Sustainable Development Goals
