114th Session Agenda item 4.2
EB114.R3 26 May 2004
Disability, including prevention, management and rehabilitation The Executive Board, Having considered the report on disability, including management and rehabilitation,1 RECOMMENDS to the Fifty-eighth World Health Assembly the adoption of the following resolution: The Fifty-eighth World Health Assembly, Noting that about six hundred million people live with physical and mental disabilities of various types; Aware of the global magnitude of the health and rehabilitation needs of persons with disabilities and the cost of their exclusion from society; Concerned by the rapid increase in the number of persons with disabilities as a result of population growth, ageing, chronic conditions, malnutrition, war, violence, road-traffic, domestic and occupational injuries and other causes often related to poverty; Stressing that 80% of people with disabilities live in low-income countries and that poverty further limits access to basic health services, including rehabilitation services; Recognizing that people with disabilities are important contributors to society and that allocating resources to their rehabilitation is an investment; Recognizing the importance of reliable information on various aspects of disability prevention, rehabilitation and care, and the need to invest in health and rehabilitation services required to ensure good quality of life regardless of disability; Recalling the United Nations’ Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities;2
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Document EB114/4. Adopted by United Nations General Assembly resolution 48/96.
EB114.R3
Recalling also the United Nations World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons,1 indicating inter alia that the sphere of responsibility of WHO includes prevention of disability and medical rehabilitation; Noting the African Decade of Disabled Persons (2000-2009), the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons (1993-2002), the New Asian Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons (2003-2012) and the European Year of People with Disabilities (2003); Recalling the United Nations General Assembly resolutions 56/168 of 19 December 2001, 57/229 of 18 December 2002, and 58/246 of 23 December 2003; Mindful that the internationally agreed upon development goals as contained in the United Nations Millennium Declaration would not be achieved without addressing issues related to the health and rehabilitation of persons with disabilities; Recognizing the importance of the early conclusion of the United Nations comprehensive and integral international convention on protection and promotion of the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities; 1. URGES Member States: (1) to strengthen national programmes, policies and strategies for the implementation of the United Nations’ Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities; (2) to develop their knowledge base with a view to promoting the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities and ensure their full inclusion in society; (3) to promote early intervention and identification of disability, especially for children, and full physical, informational, and economic accessibility in all spheres of life, including to health and rehabilitation services, in order to ensure full participation and equality of persons with disabilities; (4) to promote and strengthen community-based rehabilitation programmes linked to primary health care and integrated in the health system; (5) to facilitate access to appropriate assistive technology and to promote its development and other means that encourage the inclusion of persons with disabilities in society; (6) to include a disability component in their health policies and programmes, in particular in the areas of child and adolescent health, sexual and reproductive health, mental health, ageing, HIV/AIDS, and chronic conditions such as diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases and cancer; (7) to coordinate policies and programmes on disability with those on ageing where appropriate;
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United Nations General Assembly resolution 37/52.
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EB114.R3
(8) to ensure gender equality in all measures with special attention to women and girls with disabilities, often subject to social, cultural and economic disadvantages; (9) to participate in the preparatory work for a United Nations comprehensive and integral international convention to promote and protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities;1 2. REQUESTS the Director-General: (1) to intensify collaboration within WHO in order to work towards enhancing quality of life and promoting the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities inter alia by including gender-disaggregated statistical analysis and information on disability in all areas of work; (2) to provide support to Member States in strengthening national rehabilitation programmes and implementing the United Nations’ Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities; (3) to support Member States in collecting more reliable data on all relevant aspects, including cost-effectiveness of interventions for disability prevention, rehabilitation and care, and in assessing potential use of available national and international resources for disability prevention, rehabilitation and care; (4) to further strengthen collaborative work within the United Nations system and with Member States, academia, private sector, and nongovernmental organizations, including organizations of people with disabilities; (5) to organize a meeting of experts to review the health and rehabilitation requirements of persons with disabilities; (6) to produce a world report on disability and rehabilitation based on the best available scientific evidence; (7) to promote a clear understanding of the contributions that people with disabilities can make to society; (8) to provide a progress report on implementation of this resolution to the Sixtieth World Health Assembly, through the Executive Board.
Fifth meeting, 26 May 2004 EB114/SR/5
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United Nations General Assembly resolution 56/168.
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