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“Persons with disabilities are not objects of charity but equal members of society.”
That was the message from singer-songwriter and UN Messenger of Peace, Stevie Wonder. Speaking to a packed house at the International Day for Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) celebrations at United Nations Headquarters in New York on December 2, the mega-selling recording artist had the perfect pitch for the occasion. His message was a direct challenge to the out-dated view that has for too long limited the potential of persons with disabilities.
This year the international community celebrated ten years of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The CRPD is proudly the fastest ratified international convention and is responsible for remarkable progress within the global disability community.
The UN celebrated the day with a variety of events including a high-level panel meeting which included an address from the Secretary General Mr Ban Ki-Moon - one of his last in this role. He took the opportunity to urge member states yet to ratify the convention to do so, as to ensure the universal protection and support of disabled persons around the world.
Fatoumata Ndiaye, Deputy Executive Director, UNICEF spoke about the disadvantage experienced by children with disabilities. She focused on the importance of equipping children with skills in natural disaster prone areas to ensure they are not left behind.
The role of the CRPD in mainstreaming disability specific targets of the SDGs was emphasised by the President of the General Assembly, Peter Thomas during his address.
Andrew Gilmour, Assistant-Secretary General for Human Rights described the convention has a “Landmark achievement of the Human Rights movement.” He also noted the implementation of the CRPD assisted with the inclusion of disability specific goals in the 2030 Agenda a big achievement in comparison to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) where persons with disabilities were not mentioned.
More events took place through to the evening to celebrate the day including a film festival, the launch of a disability toolkit for African nations and a round table discussion on accessible cites for all followed by a sister evening event in the ECOSOC chamber boasting an array of performances from members of the disability community including, Violinist and UN Messenger of Peace Midori, The Korean Special Olympics Ensemble and Breaking Through Barriers theater production.
The atmosphere was buzzing and it was clear people were excited about achievements so far and what is in stall for persons with disabilities moving into the future. One attendee told organising staff that “It is finally our day” with an expression of pure glee upon her face.
Stevie Wonder asked the audience to “imagine if everyone with a disability was given the opportunity to do something great like me.” Mr Wonder’s statement summarised the key message of the day - not only are the rights and recognition of persons with disabilities beneficial for the disability community but beneficial to society as a whole.
To learn more about our work on persons with disabilities go to social.un.org/disabilities