Historical background and way forward
| Introduction |
| Historical Perspective |
| International Year of Disabled Persons |
| Themes for International Day of Persons with Disabilities |
| Importance of these efforts |
| West v/s Pakistan and Way Forward |
Contents
Introduction
December 3rd is recognized as the international day of disabled persons. The purpose of celebrating international day of persons with disabilities is to sensitize people about the issues being faced by disable individuals on daily basis. Another major purpose of celebrating this day is to ensure that these differently abled persons experience inclusion and get opportunities in all spheres of daily life be it political, economic, cultural or social etc. Initially, till 2007, it was known as “International Day of Disabled Persons” however later, it was renamed as “International Day of Persons with Disabilities”.
Historical Perspective
The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 3rd December as the International Day of Disabled Persons in 1992. The purpose was to highlight the rights of these differently abled individuals in the various spheres of society as well as increase awareness regarding them. It was certain that by creating awareness regarding this segment of the society and playing a constructive role towards their development will increase chances of their inclusion in politics, culture and various other sectors of the society. However, the struggle of United Nations for the disabled persons did not end here. The various efforts of United Nations led to the adoption of Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2006. This step further enhanced the rights of disabled individuals in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as well as other development projects of international level.
International Year of Disabled Persons
The United Nations General Assembly declared 1981 as the International Year of Disabled Persons. During this year, United Nations asked for a plan of action at various levels including national, regional and international levels. The theme of this year was “Full participation and Equality” to ensure the maximum participation of disable persons towards the development of their societies, enjoying an improved socio-economic status and living life to the fullest as persons without disabilities live. After this, the United Nations also declared a Decade of Disabled Persons from 1983 to 1992.
Themes for International Day of Persons with Disabilities
The theme for International Day of Persons with Disabilities is different each year. For instance, the theme of this year is “Building back better: toward a disability-inclusive, accessible and sustainable post COVID-19 World”. The theme of 2019 was “Promoting the participation of persons with disabilities and their leadership: taking action on the 2030 Development Agenda”. 2018 observed this day under the theme “Empowering persons with disabilities and ensuring inclusiveness and equality”. Similarly, the theme of 2017 was “Transformation towards sustainable and resilient society for all” and so on.
Importance of these efforts
These efforts play a very important role because a significant percentage of the world’s population is facing some sort of disability. It is said that almost ten percent of world’s population i.e. 650 million people are forced to live with disabilities. While, five to ten percent of Pakistan’s population is living life with disability. There is a dire need to improve the lifestyle of these people so that they can also play a positive role towards the development of the society.
West v/s Pakistan and Way Forward
The Western world has introduced many changes in their society in the previous years which has increased inclusion and acceptance of disabled individuals in that society. One of the many initiatives taken by the Western governments is the introduction of infrastructure that is friendly to the disabled persons. On the other hand, Pakistan is still struggling to take substantial initiatives for its disabled nationals. There is still a need to sensitize our people about their behaviors towards the disabled individuals. We need to understand that the prime requirement for ensuring an inclusive society is to ensure an unbiased approach towards people that are different from us in any way. This welcoming attitude from us will result in the boosted self-esteem of these individuals and hence, they will be able to play a better role towards the development of their society and nation.
Encouraging Tweet by Prime Minister Imran Khan
The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan also tweeted on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. In his tweet, he said that the new Ehsaas Kafaalat Policy for Special Persons will help 2000 families to get benefit. They will get a monthly stipend of Rs. 2000/-. He further shared that this program is the contribution of Pakistan towards disability-inclusive and sustainable post COVID-19 world.
