UN Special Rapporteur on Disability

Commission for Social Development
Forty-seventh session 4-13 February 2009

Monitoring of the implementation of the Standard Rules on the
Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities

Introduction | Overview of activities and achievements | Evaluation of my work 2003-2008 | Activities in 2008| Conclusions and recommendations

Note by the Secretary-General

At its forty-eighth session, the General Assembly adopted the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities, contained in the annex to its resolution 48/96. These 22 rules provide a framework to further implement the goals of equality and full participation of persons with disabilities in social life and development as set forth in the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons, adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 37/52.
In section IV, paragraph 2, of the Standard Rules, it was stipulated that the rules should be monitored within the framework of the sessions of the Commission for Social Development. The appointment of a Special Rapporteur to monitor their implementation was also envisaged in that paragraph.
In March 1994, the Secretary-General appointed Bengt Lindqvist (Sweden) Special Rapporteur on Disability of the Commission for Social Development.
Mr. Lindqvist prepared three reports for the consideration of the Commission during his mandate (see A/52/56, E/CN.5/2000/3 and Corr.1 and E/CN.5/2002/4),(1) which was renewed in 1997 and in 2000 by the Economic and Social Council in its resolutions 1997/19 and 2000/10, respectively.
In June 2003, the Secretary-General appointed Sheikha Hissa Al-Thani (Qatar) Special Rapporteur for the period 2003-2005. The Special Rapporteur submitted an oral report to the Commission for Social Development at its forty-second session.1 At its forty-third session, in February 2005, the Commission considered the report of the Special Rapporteur on the monitoring of the implementation of the Standard Rules during the 20 months since her appointment (see E/CN.5/2005/5).1 By its resolution 2005/9, the Economic and Social Council welcomed the work of the Special Rapporteur, decided to renew her mandate through 31 December 2008, and requested the Special Rapporteur to submit to the Commission for Social Development an annual report on the monitoring of the implementation of the Standard Rules. At its forty-fourth, forty-sixth, and forty-seventh sessions, in February 2006, February 2007, and February 2008 respectively, the Commission considered the report of the Special Rapporteur on the monitoring of the implementation of the Standard Rules during the previous 12 months (see E/CN.5/2006/4, E/CN.5/2007/4, E/CN.5/2008/3).1
In a resolution adopted in July 2008 (see draft resolution IV
“Further promotion of equalization of opportunities by, for and with persons with disabilities and protection of their human rights”, E/2008/26), the Economic and Social Council, decided “to renew the mandate of the Special Rapporteur until 31 December 2011 in accordance with the provisions set down in section 4 of the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities to further their promotion and monitoring, including the human rights dimensions of disability, and with the provisions of the present resolution. The Economic and Social Council, also requested “the Special Rapporteur to further:
1. Advocate the equalization of opportunities for, the full enjoyment of all human rights by, and the well-being of persons with disabilities in all respects, in line with the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities, the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;
2. Create awareness of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, including for its wider signature and ratification by Member States;
3. Act as a catalyst to promote international and technical cooperation on the rights of persons with disabilities, including by identifying strategic areas for the exchange and sharing of expertise, best practices, knowledge, information and relevant technologies in order to enhance the capacity-building of Member States;
4. Collaborate, in the fulfillment of the above tasks, with all relevant stakeholders, including organizations of persons with disabilities.”
The Economic and Social Council, also called “upon all Governments to continue to cooperate and engage in direct dialogue with the Special Rapporteur and to provide him or her with all the relevant information needed to fulfill the mandate effectively” and expressed “concern at the insufficiency of resources for the Special Rapporteur, and recognizes the importance of providing adequate resources for the implementation of the mandate by the Special Rapporteur”.
The Economic and Social Council requested the Special Rapporteur to submit to the Commission for Social Development an annual report on her activities in implementing the 2008 resolution. The Secretary-General has the honour to transmit to the Commission the annual report of the Special Rapporteur.

(1)Available from the United Nations Enable website, at http://www.un.org/disabilities/.

Report of the Special Rapporteur on Disability of the Commission for Social Development on monitoring of the implementation of the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities

Summary

The present report, submitted in accordance with the resolution adopted by ECOSOC in July 2008 (see E/2008/26 draft resolution IV, “Further promotion of equalization of opportunities by, for and with persons with disabilities and protection of their human rights”), constitutes the fifth and final report of the present mandate holder of the Special Rapporteur on Disability of the Commission for Social Develoment, Hissa Al Thani.

The report begins with an overview of the activities and achievements of the Special Rapporteur during her term 2003 to 2008. It then discusses activities undertaken during 2008 since her last annual report (E/CN.5/2008/3).

The report presents the Special Rapporteur’s evaluation of the accomplishments during her term. Finally the report ends with conclusions and recommendations for future action to ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities.

Contents

Introduction
Overview of activities and achievements, 2003-2008
Activities in 2008 IV. Evaluation of the results of my work, 2003-2008
Conclusions and recommendations

I. Introduction

This is my fifth and final report on the progress of Member States in the implementation of the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities (General Assembly resolution 48/96, annex), after six years of occupying the post of United Nations Special Rapporteur on Disability of the Commission for Social Development.
It has been an honour to spend the past six years monitoring the implementation of the Standard Rules; raising awareness on the rights of persons with disabilities; advocating for those rights; and urging governments to sign and ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
I feel a great sense of accomplishment for the work that was done, and an immense feeling of gratitude to all those who contributed to the success of my two terms as Special Rapporteur; these individuals number in the hundreds and are too many to mention.
I would like to thank all the individuals and organizations of persons with disabilities around the world; the United Nations agencies and their employees; the members of my staff and the volunteers who worked tirelessly over the past six years; the South-North Center for Dialogue and Development that was an effective and valuable partner in this work; the members of the Panel of Experts who were always ready with support, advice and participation in all activities, initiatives and events; and the Department of Economic and Social Affairs at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
I would like to especially thank the leadership of my own country, Qatar, for their continuous and unflagging support of my work. Without the financial support and the moral encouragement none of what we have done could have been accomplished.
Additionally, I would like to thank the Commission for Social Development for its confidence in me and the trust they have accorded me by renewing my mandate in 2005 for a second three-year term. This constituted a great encouragement for me and a stamp of approval for the work I had been undertaking.
This report provides a brief summary of the main activities of the past six years, followed by a short evaluation examining the impact of the work on the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities. I will also present some of the challenges facing the movement from my point of view and based on my own experience of the past six years. Finally, I present several recommendations.

II. Overview of activities and achievements, 2003-2008

Upon commencing my role as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Disability of the Commission for Social Development, I formulated a strategic plan based on the following vision and mission statements: Vision- A world free of all forms of discrimination, obstacles and barriers; which enables its members to fully realize their potentials. A world that allows all its members to participate equally in the enjoyment of its resources and to contribute to its advancement. Mission- To promote and monitor the implementation of the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities, and to advance the status of persons with disabilities throughout the world. Based on these statements, the following objectives were identified:
1. promoting the implementation of the Standard Rules worldwide;
2. furthering their effective implementation;
3. assisting states in assessing levels of implementation and measuring progress;
4. identifying obstacles and suggesting suitable measures for more successful implementation;
5. providing advisory and consultative services to States and organizations;
6. facilitating the exchange of information and experiences between and among states and organizations of persons with disabilities;
7. coordinating the efforts and resources of international, regional, governmental and non-governmental organizations, and steering them toward the implementation of the Standard Rules;
8. encouraging the involvement of the Panel of Experts in reviewing, advising and providing feedback on the best way to promote, implement and monitor the rules.
The following objectives were identified as means of achieving the above stated objectives: monitoring; advocacy; awareness raising; identifying partners; coordinating activities, resources and expertise; communicating, corresponding, exchanging information and expertise; and holding periodic theme-driven meetings, seminars, symposia.
The period from 2003 to 2008 saw a number of achievements in the disability movement in various arenas, several of which directly coincided with or were related to my work, or were initiated by my office. During the past six years, persons with disabilities increasingly became a priority on the international development agenda, gaining prominence through the negotiations, drafting and adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol. The Convention may be considered one of the major milestones in the history of the disability movement and it has been my greatest pleasure to be a part of the process, and to contribute to this effort through raising awareness of the rights of persons with disabilities, urging governments to sign and ratify the Convention.
Stimulated by the negotiations of the Convention which took place during the eight sessions of the Ad Hoc Committee from 2002-2006 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, awareness of the importance of the disability movement and what it stands for grew exponentially at governmental and societal levels worldwide. In turn, organizations of persons with disabilities gained strength and capacity, becoming more vocal and increasing cooperation and coordination across disabilities, as well as across cultures and geographical borders. This also prompted greater recognition of the role and work of the Special Rapporteur on Disability and particularly of the Standard Rules for the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities.
In that context, I attended the meetings of the Ad Hoc Committee on the drafting of the Convention from 2003 to 2006, lending support to the issues important to organizations of persons with disabilities through strategic interventions at the meetings.
From the inception of my mandate, I focused on building on the work undertaken by my predecessor, Mr. Bengt Lindqvist. The supplement to the Standard Rules developed by Mr. Lindqvist guided my prioritization of issues related to children and women with disabilities; persons with disabilities in developing countries living in poverty and difficult circumstances; and persons with psychosocial disabilities. Previous annual reports to the Commission for Social Development contain details on this work.

A. Regional Initiatives

Early during my mandate, I advocated for the adoption of the Arab Decade for Persons with Disabilities by the Arab League of States in 2004. Realizing that the Arab region was the only region in the world at the time that had not yet adopted a Disability Decade, and mindful of the fact that the rights of persons with disabilities in the region did not yet hold a priority position on the agendas of governments and human rights advocates, I deemed it appropriate to take advantage of my regional background to advocate for their rights and bring about positive change in the lives of persons with disabilities in the Arab region.
Using the momentum created by the adoption of the Arab Decade, I persuaded the Arab Parliamentary Union to establish an Arab Parliamentary Committee on Disability within the Union. This was followed by practical and immediate steps to build the capacity of Arab Parliamentarians with regard to disability legislations through a series of Symposia held in a number of Arab countries and hosted by the Parliaments/Shoura Councils of these countries, using one or two Rules from the Standard Rules as a theme for each symposium: Amman (March 2005); Beirut (December 2005); Yemen (March 2007); Morocco (July 2007); Qatar (January 2009). The Symposia marked the first time that Arab Parliamentarians and Legislators had met and held an open dialogue with persons with disabilities. These efforts were the catalyst for the establishment of new partnerships, chief among them with the Council of Europe, the Commission on Disability in the German Federal Government; the Flemish Parliament in Belgium.

B. International initiatives

Throughout my mandate I have fostered open dialogue with United Nations agencies at the international and regional levels to promote the inclusion of persons with disabilities in their development agendas. In all my activities, United Nations agencies representatives were invited to participate in meeting held with both organizations of persons with disabilities and governments.
To address the discussion on whether issues related to persons with disabilities belong on the agenda of development or human rights, I made my position clear when I requested to speak with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and at the Human Rights Council in order to emphasize the point that: “the issues of persons with disabilities belong to both agendas – the social development agenda and the human rights agenda.” It should be increasingly recognized that social development and human rights are complementary and interdependent.
In September 2005, with the support of the members of the Panel of Experts and the Permanent Representative of the Qatar to the United Nations, we succeeded in persuading governments to include persons with disabilities in the review of the Millennium Development Goals at the September summit. The campaign succeeded in re-opening the final document and adding mention of persons with disabilities in two paragraphs. However, the parallel campaign to persuade Heads of State to include disability in their speeches resulted in only three references to disability. In September 2008, the issue of disability in relation to the Millennium Development Goals was revisited in connection with the Summit which took place to review progress on the MDGs.
Another initiative adopted during my six-year term involved the World Bank and disability funding. Presented to former World Bank President, Mr. James Wolfensohn, the initiative requested that the World Bank include a disability component in all projects funded by the Bank, ensuring that at least 10% of the funds be spent of disability-related programmes. Although this initiative was not adopted by the World Bank for a variety of reasons, it generated much debate within the disability movement and gained a great deal of support from those involved in funding for development.
During my term, I visited nearly 40 countries to assess the situation of persons with disabilities living in poverty and in difficult conditions. In monitoring countries’ implementation of the Standard Rules, I engaged in a monitoring programme that included the following activities:
1. Country visits and meetings with government representatives and organizations of persons with disabilities in all countries visited;
2. Field visits to service and rehabilitation centres in all countries visited;
3. Meetings with Ministers of Finance to ensure that commitments made by all sectors of government are included in national budgets in order to guarantee their implementation.

C. Global Survey on Government Action on the Implementation of the Standard Rules for the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities

Monitoring activities on the Standard Rules included a global survey conducted in partnership with the South-North Center for Dialogue and Development. The survey was designed to determine the extent to which governments were implementing the Standard Rules; to determine differences in perception on the implementation between governments and organizations of persons with disabilities; and to examine the extent to which implementation of the Standard Rules made tangible differences in the lives of persons with disabilities.
The Survey was distributed to all Member States, to one government body and two organizations of persons with disabilities in each country. Responses were received from 114 countries. Two reports have been published on the results of the Survey and a third will be published early in 2009. The analysis of the Survey has yielded a list of 324 measures derived from the Standard Rules, which may be used by governments and organizations of persons with disabilities as a checklist and guide to achieving equalization of opportunities.

D. Awareness-raising

Awareness-raising at every level of society is an important pre-condition to the implementation of the Standard Rules. Real change cannot occur without awareness of the issues, needs, potentials, and contributions of persons with disabilities. Measures are needed to change stereotypical images, and to increase awareness on the human rights of persons with disabilities. I have attempted to use the media and media-related activities to raise awareness, change perceptions, present a positive image of persons with disabilities and create awareness at all levels of society. The following activities were undertaken to fulfill that objective:
1. Media interviews, appearances on talk shows and call-in shows, televised or video taped statements;
2. Production of television spots and public education announcements;
3. Production of video clips designed to attract younger audiences and turn their attention to the rights of persons with disabilities;
4. Short documentaries that portray the realities of the lives of persons with disabilities and present them in a positive manner.
Recognizing that media campaigns can only be achieved if persons producing media have adequate knowledge and are able to shed their own prejudices and stereotypes, I also launched a series of workshops aimed at educating media persons, raising their awareness and enlisting them as powerful and far-reaching allies in the service of disability rights. Two such workshops were held in Syria (2006) and in Egypt (2008).
The Office of the Special Rapporteur launched three full-fledged media awareness-raising campaigns which received attention worldwide: The Right to Education & Employment (2005); Difference is Normal (2006); and War & Disability (2008). Although these productions were designed to target a predominantly Arab audience and featured Arab persons with disabilities, they are in demand in a number African and European countries and have been used by organizations of persons with disabilities in the United States. These productions have won a number of awards over the past three years at international theme-driven film festivals.
I initiated a dialogue with Arab television drama writers and producers to introduce characters with disabilities into their storylines, with the aim of using media to present positive images of persons with disabilities. Television dramas enter almost every home in the region and are viewed by people of all ages, socio-economic backgrounds and walks of life. They therefore represent a potentially powerful way to influence the attitudes of large numbers of people through entertainment. The idea found favour among many and was adopted and implemented in two Syrian dramatic productions that aired during the month of Ramadan in 2006 and 2007.
Since the adoption by the General Assembly of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in December 2006 to the date of writing this report, efforts have intensified to raise awareness of disability rights through the Convention, to persuade governments to sign and ratify the Convention and to implement the Convention. In recognition of the role I had played in promoting the Convention and the effectiveness of awareness-raising efforts, the Commission for Social Development, at the forty-sixth session in February 2008, drafted a resolution adopted by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in July 2008 to include work on the Convention in the responsibilities of the Special Rapporteur on Disability.

III. Evaluation of my work 2003-2008

At a personal level, I am very gratified by comments I have heard about how my work has impacted the disability movement generally. One of the most rewarding developments, and which for me has signaled an acknowledgement of success, was the resolution of the Commission for Social Development to expand the mandate of the Special Rapporteur to include, in addition to the Standard Rules, promotion and advocacy on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
It is important to recognize that there is no conflict between the human rights and development two agendas as they are synergistic and interdependent. Human rights are real when they result in a change in people’s daily lives. Human rights are not fully implemented if they do not include the right to development.
The work I have undertaken with various partners and with the support of my country and its leadership has resulted in added value to the disability movement; in particular I highlight the following:
1. Elevating awareness of the rights of persons with disabilities to the highest levels of government: While the negotiation, drafting, adoption and signing of the Convention served to create a great deal of awareness about the rights of persons with disabilities, taking this perspective into the parliamentary chambers and legislative circles through engaging heads of states, government officials and legislators served to elevate the rights of persons with disabilities to a political issue of importance. One example of this is a request from the First Lady of Lebanon to assist in the development of a national disability strategy and action plan.
2. Promoting the inclusion of persons with disabilities on the agenda of the United Nations agencies involved in development: During all country visits and in every meeting organized by the Office of the Special Rapporteur, United Nations agencies were invited to become involved in order to increase their connection with organizations of persons with disabilities and to promote recognition of inclusive development as a significant and essential aspect of their work. Although there remains much work to be done, there has been success in raising the awareness among development practitioners of the importance of programmes that is inclusive of persons with disabilities.
3. Establishing a benchmark in disability research and statistics: The Global Survey on Government Actions on the Implementation of the Standard Rules for the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities has resulted in what has been described as the “most comprehensive body of research into disability”. It identified the measures to be implemented by governments and yielded information on 114 countries.
4. Raising the profile of persons with disabilities in the Arab region: The Arab region was lagging behind all regions of the world in terms of disability awareness when I first commenced my term as Special Rapporteur. By 2005 when collecting responses to the Global Survey in 2005, 19 of the 22 Arab countries had provided data on disability. The increased interest at the level of governments and civil society organizations was marked by the unprecedented number of meetings which took place in the region on the issue. Additionally, media awareness has grown exponentially over the past six years and persons with disabilities have become more visible in public life.
5. Stronger representation in the developing world: While the rights of persons with disabilities previously seemed to be the purview of Western and industrialized countries, over the past six years there has been greater representation from developing countries in international organizations of persons with disabilities. A case in point is the elections of the new Executive Board of Disabled Persons International (DPI) which took place in Korea in 2007, where the majority of Board Members elected were from developing countries.
6. Regional Monitoring Body:During their last meeting at the headquarters of the League of Arab States in Egypt, Arab organizations of persons with disabilities announced the establishment of a regional monitoring body to monitor the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Secretariat and the work of the body is entirely funded by private sector contributions and donations, indicating the growing awareness, interest and involvement in the rights of persons with disabilities from sectors that have never previously been involved.

IV- Activities in 2008

During the past year, I attended and spoke at a number of meetings on issues including democracy, human rights, municipal councils, and violence against women. These presented excellent opportunities to mainstream the rights of persons with disabilities into civic, political and social matters whose relevance to disability is often overlooked or ignored.
During the first half of the year, the Office of the Special Rapporteur and the Supreme Council for Family Affairs in Doha, Qatar, organized a regional workshop on accessibility. One of the main contributors to the workshop was Mr. Michael Fox, President of RI and accessibility expert. The workshop also resulted in launching a long-term programme entitled “Qatar Accessible For All”. A second workshop is planned for the last quarter of 2008.
Continuing efforts to promote the Convention, my office organized a national workshop on the Convention in which participants from civil society and government departments were led through a detailed explanation of the articles of the Convention and their implementation.
In cooperation with the South-North Center for Dialogue and Development, and the Supreme Council for Disability Affairs in Jordan, the Office of the Special Rapporteur held an international symposium on “Research and Statistics in the Area of Disability” in conjunction with the launch of Phase II of the analysis of Global Survey on Government Actions on the Implementation of the Standard Rules. The symposium was attended by a number of international researchers and representatives of the United Nations Secretariat and United Nations agencies, members of the Panel of Experts, as well as university professors, statisticians, and government representatives from the region.
The third media campaign of my office was launched in Beirut, Lebanon under the theme “War & Disability”, to draw attention to the ever-mounting human cost of war. The campaign contrasts the demands for increasing funding for services, rehabilitation, better medical care, nutrition, increased accessibility in all its forms; and efforts for prevention and treatment of disability; with the wars and armed conflicts that are reaping lives and limbs in over 65 conflict areas in the world. Participants were given a campaign tool kit which included a DVD of the films and TV spots, campaign posters and fact-sheets in order to launch their own awareness campaign on the relationship between war and disability.
The War & Disability Campaign resulted in a document entitled “The Beirut Commitment” in which participants agreed on five goals, the first of which focused on advocating and lobbying for the ratification and full implementation of the Convention as the starting point for any rights-based advocacy for persons with disabilities.
A second Media Workshop was held in Cairo, Egypt, building on the efforts of educating the media and raising their awareness of the rights of persons with disabilities, to encourage their positive representation in media. The first Media Workshop was held in Syria in 2006. The Cairo Media Workshop was held in cooperation with the National Council on Childhood headed by the First Lady of Egypt, Her Excellency Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak.
I participated as keynote speaker in the Pan-European Seminar organized by the European Network for Independent Living entitled “Towards Deinstitutionalization of Women and Men with Functional Disability”, in Spain. The focus of my presentation was policies on deinstitutionalization, drawing on guidance from the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
In April the Office of the Special Rapporteur facilitated a visit to Doha by a delegation from the All China Federation for Persons with Disabilities and the Chinese Paralympics Committee, which included meetings with Olympic officials, rehabilitation centers, sports centers for persons with disabilities, schools and service organizations for children and persons with disabilities.
In May, Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Naser al Misnad, requested the Office of the Special Rapporteur to conduct a national survey, similar to the Global Survey. The purpose of the exercise is to assist policy and decision makers in Qatar to develop policies, programmes and projects that will respond to the needs of persons with disabilities at the national level.
In July, after witnessing the media coverage of the War & Disability campaign, First Lady of Lebanon, Her Excellency Mrs. Wafaa Suleiman made contact with the Office of the Special Rapporteur. An agreement was reached to assist the First Lady in developing a comprehensive six-year strategy to adopt disability rights, including setting policy to be adopted by the Government of Lebanon for the benefit of persons with disabilities. The Office of the Special Rapporteur, in partnership with the South-North Center for Dialogue and Development, has held three planning meetings with the Office of the First Lady.
One of my most rewarding meetings was in August with His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary General and the Secretariat of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities within the Department for Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), demonstrating the leadership and commitment at the highest level of the United Nations to the full equalization of opportunities and rights of persons with disabilities.

V- Conclusions and recommendations

The Standard Rules remain a practical framework that defines obstacles and barriers and provides guidelines to what needs to be done to achieve equalization of opportunities across the board in any given society. Though it is a historic milestone, the existence of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities does not signify that the Standard Rules for the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities should be ignored.
In the many meetings and encounters I have had over the years in all regions and countries, the political will to achieve equalization of opportunities was clear and strong. However, lack of resources and expertise has been a commonly cited obstacle. Therefore, I believe that a focus on international and inter-regional cooperation in policy and practice is the one of the most effective ways to hasten the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Standard Rules. In this context, as I have often stressed, international and inter-regional cooperation does not imply that developed or rich countries should merely transfer funds to poorer countries. International cooperation should include the exchange of expertise and technical support, urging decision makers to benefit from the experience of others in developing strategies to achieve the equalization of opportunities and rights for persons with disabilities.
The role played by organizations of persons with disabilities is the most important contributing factor keeping disability rights within the sphere of interest and as a priority on all agendas. It is important that these organizations claim and are accorded a greater role in policy making, planning, implementation and monitoring and evaluation at the international, regional, national and local levels. The effective representation of persons with disabilities in all monitoring mechanisms, including and especially committees of international human rights treaties, is indispensable for effective implementation of agreements.
Despite 15 years since the adoption of the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities, and more than 25 years since the adoption of the World Programme of Action, levels of implementation are still below both the moral and legal commitments made by countries towards the rights of persons with disabilities. This indicates that there is a strong and urgent need to develop effective national mechanisms for offering incentives and monitoring the implementation of commitments made by governments. Such implementation, to be truly effective, must reach every person with disabilities, their families and communities, and the societies in which they live.
The existence of conventions and agreements, although extremely important, will not change the situation of persons with disabilities if there is no change in the levels of awareness and the degree of knowledge about persons with disabilities and their needs, rights, abilities, potentials, and contributions. A positive shift is needed in the attitudes and manner in which persons with disabilities are viewed; a view without discrimination or pity. This view includes a readiness to work with and involve persons with disabilities in all aspects of life.
I recommend most strongly that the rights of persons with disabilities become integral to all the work of the United Nations. Despite efforts over the past four years to include disability in the Millennium Development Goals, success has been limited. However, if persons with disabilities are not included, the Goals will not be achieved.
I urge all countries to review and adopt national legislation in line with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, to develop programmes and plans of action, and to earmark funds for their effective and expeditious implementation. For those countries that have not yet signed or ratified the Convention, I urge them to do so as a matter of priority, to ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities.