During the major reconstruction that follows a large number of natural disasters, planners often miss opportunities to avoid recreating the exclusion of people with disabilities by adapting the design of the built environment. It is far more cost-effective to modify the plans for a new building at the outset than to adapt an existing building to make it accessible. Depending on the type of building, providing full access facilities from the outset costs an average additional 1.12 percent.

4 April 2008

GENEVA -- The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour has warmly welcomed the news that Ecuador on Thursday became the 20th country to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, with the result that the Convention and its Optional Protocol will now come into force one month later, on 3 May.

The Annual Meeting of the UN Inter-agency Network on Youth Development took place from 24-25 March in UNDP headquarters, New York. UN DESA is the permanent co-chair of the Network, and for 2015/2016 is joined by rotating co-chair UNDP.

The Network draws together over 40 UN entities to coordinate and collaborate on youth related issues across the UN system, including the development and implementation of the UN System-wide Action Plan on Youth. More information on the Network can be found at the UN-Youth SWAP website.

From 25 to 27 March 2015, Permanent Forum member Joan Carling attended the intergovernmental negotiations on sustainable development goals and targets.

On 18 March 2015, Permanent Forum expert member Oliver Loode participated in a roundtable event entitled “Preservation and Promotion of Cultural and Linguistic Heritage of Sakhalin Indigenous People (the Nivkh)” at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France.

At the invitation of the Government of the Russian Federation, the expert members of the Permanent Forum met on 25, 26 and 27 February 2015 in Salekhard – the administrative center of Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug – Russia.

On 3 Marc

From 2 to 4 March 2015, in Lima, Peru, Permanent Forum expert member Ms. Maria Eugenia Choque Quispe participated in a meeting of organizations of Indigenous women in Latin America.

The Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, 2002, adopted by the Second World Assembly on Ageing, states that systematic review of its implementation by Member States is essential for achieving improved quality of life of older persons and that the Commission for Social Development should be responsible for the follow-up and appraisal of its implementation.

4 January: World Braille Day

4 to 13 February: 53rd Commission for Social Development

25 to 27 February: 4th Zero Project Conference, Vienna