The General Assembly,
Mindful of the pledge made by States, under the Charter of the United Nations, to take action jointly and separately, in cooperation with the United Nations, to promote higher standards of living, full employment, and conditions of economic and social progress and development,
Reaffirming the commitment to human rights and fundamental freedoms, social justice and the dignity and worth of the human person proclaimed in the Charter,
Recalling in particular the international standards of human rights laid down in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
Underlining that the rights proclaimed in those instruments should be ensured equally to all individuals without discrimination,
Recalling the provisions safeguarding the rights of women with disabilities in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women,
Having regard to the Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons, the Declaration on the Rights of Mentally Retarded Persons, the Declaration on Social Progress and Development, the Principles for the Protection of Persons with Mental Illness and for the Improvement of Mental Health Care and other relevant instruments adopted by the General Assembly,
Also having regard to the relevant conventions and recommendations adopted by the International Labour Organisation, with particular reference to participation in employment without discrimination for persons with disabilities,
Mindful of the relevant recommendations and work of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, in particular the World Declaration on Education for All, and of the work of the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children's Fund and other concerned organizations,
Recognizing that the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons, adopted by the General Assembly by its resolution 37/52 of 3 December 1982, and the definition therein of equalization of opportunities reflect the determination of the international community to ensure that the various international instruments and recommendations will be put to practical, concrete and effective use in improving the quality of life of persons with disabilities and their families and communities,
Acknowledging that the objective of the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons (1983-1992) to implement the World Programme of Action is still valid and requires urgent and continued action,
Recalling that the World Programme of Action is based on concepts that are equally valid in developed and developing countries,
Convinced that intensified efforts are needed to achieve the full and equal enjoyment of human rights and full participation and inclusion in society of persons with disabilities,
Recognizing that persons with disabilities, their families and representatives and organizations concerned with the needs of persons with disabilities must be active partners with States in the planning and implementation of all measures affecting their civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights,
Recalling Economic and Social Council resolution 1990/26 of 24 May 1990, and reaffirming the specific measures required for the attainment of full equality by persons with disabilities, enumerated in detail in the World Programme of Action,
Reaffirming the commitment of the Commission for Social Development to the provisions and rules set out in the ongoing process of elaborating standard rules on the equalization of opportunities for persons with disabilities,
Recognizing the essential role of the United Nations and the Commission for Social Development in providing leadership and positive guidance to encourage worldwide change by equalizing opportunities, promoting independence and ensuring the full inclusion and participation in society of all persons with disabilities,
Seeking to ensure effective implementation of action to promote the full inclusion of persons with disabilities in all aspects of society and to affirm the leadership role of the United Nations in that process,
1. Calls upon the Secretary-General to maintain the integrity and the identity of the United Nations programme on disabled persons, including the United Nations Voluntary Fund on Disability, in order to promote the equalization of opportunities and full inclusion in society of persons with disabilities;
2. Urges the Secretary-General to strengthen, through redeployment of resources, the United Nations programme on disabled persons in order to enable it:
(a) To represent the needs of persons with disabilities and their families and communities throughout the United Nations system;
(b) To ensure effective coordination and streamlining of efforts to respond to the needs of persons with disabilities, through policy formulation, advocacy and liaison, among all bodies within the United Nations system, particularly the International Labour Organisation, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Children's Fund;
(c) To promote equal opportunities and full participation of persons with disabilities and their families and representatives within the United Nations system itself;
(d) In cooperation with Member States, bodies within the United Nations system, non-governmental organizations and other appropriate agencies, to extend technical assistance and disseminate information in order to enhance the capacity of Member States to develop, implement and evaluate their efforts to equalize opportunities and provide for the full inclusion in society of persons with disabilities;
3. Requests the Secretary-General to report biennially to the General Assembly on the progress of efforts to ensure the equalization of opportunities and full inclusion of persons with disabilities in the various bodies of the United Nations system;
4. Also requests the Secretary-General to consider, in view of the importance of ensuring that the needs of persons with disabilities and their families and communities are represented in an equitable manner, strengthening and upgrading the status of the Disabled Persons Unit of the Secretariat through redeployment of resources;
5. Reaffirms that the issues of equalization of opportunities and full inclusion in society for persons with disabilities will be an important part of the preparatory process and the agenda of the World Summit for Social Development to be held at Copenhagen on 11 and 12 March 1995;
6. Welcomes with satisfaction the commitment of the Commission for Social Development to ensuring that the needs of persons with disabilities and their families and communities will continue to be addressed in all of its work.
85th plenary meeting
20 December 1993