International Day of Persons with Disabilities

A green, orange, blue, and red circular shaped logo accompanied by text that reads “International Day of Persons with Disabilities December 3rd”.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities

The International Day of Persons with Disabilities was on December 3rd. According to the United Nations, this day was first recognized in 1992 to encourage acceptance and to gather support for the “dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities”. On and around December 3rd the United Nations holds panels, facilitates discussions and publishes resources that address inclusion, accessibility and equality within our society. 

On December 1st a video message was recorded by the UN Secretary General and published to the UNDESA DISD YouTube Page. In this message the Secretary General exclaimed that the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals will not be achieved if the UN is unable to make positive strides towards increasing accessibility and equity for people with disabilities. The Secretary General includes a powerful statistic in his video, stating that there are 1.3 million people worldwide that have some form of a disability. This is about an eighth of the world’s population. He uses this statistic to reinforce his idea that the United Nations will not be successful in achieving its Sustainable Development Goals if an eighth of the population is left behind. The Secretary General also makes a powerful point regarding inclusion. He says that in order to make greater change we need to include people with disabilities in our discussions.

There was a Commemorative Event held at the UN Headquarters in New York. At this event there was a thorough panel discussion structured around the five pillars of sustainable development. In my opinion two of the most powerful points in this conversation were the connections between the Peace and Partnership pillars. The ideal held with the Peace pillar was that in times of conflict the “needs and priorities” of people with disabilities are rarely addressed. The UN is challenging themselves to find new ways to further meet the needs of people with disabilities in times of conflict. This is very important because in large conflicts the rights of underrepresented groups are often overlooked. If the UN can find ways to explicitly meet the “needs and priorities” of people with disabilities I believe that positive change will occur. The Partnership pillar emphasized the idea that in order to create positive change people with disabilities need to be a part of it. This spoke to me because I agree with that viewpoint 100%. It is extremely important to involve people with disabilities in this conversation that is all about them.

Overall the International Day of Persons with Disabilities continues to address areas of improvement in regards to the rights of people with disabilities. This day sparks insightful conversations and brings attention to the lack of inclusion and equity in our society. It is my hope that one day all of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals will be achieved for everyone but especially for people with disabilities. 

For more information on this topic visit the United Nations website.

In friendship, 

Izabel Korbet 

YLC Member, New Hampshire