This year marks the 21st commemoration of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Over one billion people - or approximately 15 percent of the world population - live with disability. In the Arab region, significant strides have been made over recent years to protect and promote the rights of persons with disabilities. Despite these efforts however, persons with disabilities in Arab countries continue to face substantial barriers in accessing health care, education and employment. As a result, evidence shows that persons with disabilities experience lower literacy rates, poorer health outcomes, and heightened vulnerability to poverty and violence.
Ahead of the International Day and on the occasion of the closure of the Arab Decade for Persons with Disability (2004-2013), ESCWA and the League of Arab States held the “Conference on the Arab Decade for Persons with Disability and beyond: Enhancing the knowledge and policy infrastructure for the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the Arab Region”. The conference, which took place in Cairo on 30 and 31 October 2013, looked back at the challenges and the achievements in the area of disability policy in Arab countries. The conference was hosted by the League of Arab States and attended by 11 Arab countries, by the Gulf Cooperation Council Secretariat and international organizations such as the World Health Organization and the International Labour Organization, as well as the Arab Organization of Persons with Disabilities. The conference concluded with a joint outcome statement which reaffirms countries' commitment to implementing the provisions of the UN Convention for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and calls for elaborating a new regional framework to support Governments in their efforts to devise suitable policies.
It is worth noting that the annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons was proclaimed in 1992, by the United Nations General Assembly resolution 47/3. The observance of the Day aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. It also seeks to increase awareness of gains to be derived from the integration of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.
