The General Assembly,
Recalling all its relevant resolutions, including resolutions 37/52 and 37/53 of 3 December 1982 and 46/96 of 16 December 1991, and taking note of Economic and Social Council decision 1992/276 of 30 July 1992 and Commission on Human Rights resolution 1992/48 of 3 March 1992,
Noting the progress achieved during the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons, including increased awareness and expanded knowledge of disability issues, the increased role played by persons with disabilities and by organizations, and the development of disability legislation,
Aware of the major obstacles to the implementation of the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons, foremost among these being an inadequate allocation of resources,
Mindful of the need for persons with disabilities to be afforded the means to take their place as full-fledged citizens in all fields of society,
Deeply concerned by the increasing numbers of persons with disabilities as a consequence of poverty and disease, wars and civil strife and demographic and environmental factors, including natural disasters and catastrophic accidents,
Acknowledging with appreciation the work of the Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs of the Secretariat, as the focal point for disability issues within the United Nations system,
Recognizing that the ongoing process of elaborating standard rules on the equalization of opportunities for disabled persons represents one of the important initiatives of the Decade,
Noting the proposed action towards a long-term strategy to implement the World Programme of Action to the year 2000 and beyond, resulting from the meeting of experts held at Vancouver, Canada, in April 1992,
Welcoming the initiative of the Government of Canada in convening the International Conference of Ministers Responsible for the Status of Persons with Disabilities, held at Montreal, Canada, on 8 and 9 October 1992,
Having carefully considered the various reports and statements made during its plenary meetings on 12 and 13 October 1992, devoted to marking the conclusion of the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons,
Welcoming Economic and Social Council decision 1992/276, in which the Council recommended the continuation of the Voluntary Fund for the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons under a new name, the United Nations Voluntary Fund on Disability, and under new terms of reference,
Having taken note with appreciation of the report of the Secretary-General concerning the second round of monitoring of the implementation of the World Programme of Action and the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons,
1. Reaffirms the continuing validity and value of the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons, which provides a firm and innovative framework for disability-related issues;
2. Reiterates the responsibility of Governments for removing or facilitating the removal of barriers and obstacles to the full integration of persons with disabilities into society, and supports their efforts in developing national policies to reach specific objectives;
3. Urges Governments to show their commitment to improving the situation of persons with disabilities, inter alia, by:
(a) Establishing an appropriate governmental mechanism to be responsible for policy relating to persons with disabilities and overall coordination;
(b) Addressing disability issues within integrated social development policies linked to other socio-economic issues and providing preventive and rehabilitative measures and an equalization of opportunities, with the ultimate objective of facilitating the full integration of persons with disabilities into society;
(c) Where appropriate, creating new or strengthening existing high-level national coordinating committees or other similar bodies in accordance with the Guidelines for the Establishment and Development of National Coordinating Committees on Disability or Similar Bodies, adopted at Beijing;
(d) Supporting the development of organizations of persons with disabilities and using the body of knowledge accumulated by persons with disabilities or their representatives in decision-making processes;
(e) Integrating, where possible, disability components into technical assistance and technical cooperation programmes;
4. Welcomes the proclamation by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002;
5. Also welcomes the decision of the International Conference of Ministers Responsible for the Status of Persons with Disabilities, held at Montreal, Canada, to establish a Working Group of Ministers and the continuing discussion on the question;
6. Further welcomes the initiative of the United States of America to act as host, in cooperation with the United Nations, to an international conference on disability in the autumn of 1993;
7. Urges the optimum use of existing United Nations mechanisms and bodies, including regional commissions, specialized agencies, other intergovernmental bodies and non-governmental organizations, especially organizations of persons with disabilities, in the planning, coordination, implementation and monitoring of the United Nations programme on disability, in line with the restructuring and streamlining efforts of the United Nations system and in order to make the most cost-effective use of resources;
8. Requests the Secretary-General to turn the focus of the United Nations programme on disability from awareness raising to action, to give higher priority and visibility to disability issues within the work programme of the United Nations system, to provide it, through the use of existing resources, with an adequate allocation of funding to strengthen the leadership role of the United Nations as a catalyst for change, as a standard-setting organization, as a forum for the exchange of views and as a promoter of technical cooperation activities, by:
(a) Integrating disability issues into the policies, programmes and projects of the specialized agencies on a broader scale and with a higher priority;
(b) Concentrating action and assistance in countries and regions that are most needy and paying special attention to especially vulnerable groups;
(c) Considering the creation of a panel of eminent persons, including persons with disabilities, to advise the Secretary-General on disability matters;
(d) Initiating model pilot projects, in partnership with all interested parties, to assist Member States in formulating comprehensive and coherent disability policies and feasible action plans, taking into account diverse socio-cultural factors and varying levels of economic development;
(e) Finalizing the revision of the translation into the official languages of the United Nations of the World Programme of Action, in particular the terms "impairment", "disability", "handicap" and "disabled person";
(f) Reviewing the Human Development Index of the United Nations Development Programme to include an evaluation of the way a society treats its disabled citizens as a factor of the quality of life in that society;
(g) Continuing United Nations inter-agency meetings established as a result of the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons and focusing such meetings on the implementation of the World Programme of Action;
(h) Asking the Statistical Office of the Secretariat, in close collaboration with the Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs and the relevant United Nations organizations, to continue its important work of collecting statistical data about disability matters and to publish updated disability statistics;
9. Urges the Commission for Social Development to expedite the elaboration of standard rules on the equalization of opportunities for disabled persons;
10. Encourages the consideration during major forthcoming events, including the World Conference on Human Rights to be held in 1993, the International Conference on Population and Development to be held in 1994, the International Year of the Family to be observed in 1994, the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace, to be held in 1995, and the World Summit for Social Development to be held in 1995, of disability issues relevant to the subject-matter of those events;
11. Decides to continue, in response to General Assembly resolution 46/96 and Economic and Social Council decision 1992/276, the United Nations Voluntary Fund on Disability and encourages the Secretary-General to explore diversified funding arrangements to support and strengthen the Fund involving not only Member States, but also the private sector, with due regard to the need for greater transparency in the management of the Fund;
12. Appeals to Member States to highlight the observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons on 3 December every year with a view to furthering the integration into society of persons with disabilities;
13. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its forty-eighth session on the implementation of the present resolution under the item entitled "Social development".
89th plenary meeting
16 December 1992
