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http://www.afriquejet.com/news/12004-rights-persons-disabilities.html 'New development agenda should include rights of persons with disabilities' - UN top officials on Monday said that the rights of persons with disabilities must be directly addressed by the post-2015 development agenda, urging world leaders to adopt national and international policies that enhance and promote disability-inclusive development. 'Disability is part of the human condition, almost everyone will be temporarily or permanently impaired at some point in life,' PANA in New York quoted UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as saying at the UN General Assembly’s high-level meeting on Disability and Development. Ban said: 'Yet far too many people with disabilities live in poverty. Too many suffer from social exclusion. Too many are denied access to education, employment, health care, and social and legal support systems.' 'I know that working together we can create a world where persons with disabilities face no limit and can freely work, enjoy life and contribute their talents to society,' he stressed. He also noted that persons with disabilities make up the largest minority in the world, with more than one billion people living with some form of disability, while eighty per cent are of working age and the vast majority live in developing countries. 'All of us suffer when communities are divided, just as all of us benefit when communities are united,' the UN chief said. The secretary-general also said that persons with disabilities are an integral part in achieving the eight anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) before their deadline, and in shaping the post-2015 development agenda. 'We must further strengthen the international normative framework on disability and development. We must act now to remove barriers to access to physical environments, transportation and information and communications. 'And we must not only lift the physical barriers, but also the barriers in attitudes that fuel stigma and discrimination,' he stated. Also speaking at the meeting, the President of the UN General Assembly, Mr. John Ashe, called on member states that have not yet done so to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). To date, 134 countries have ratified or acceded to the Convention. Mr. Ashe said: 'The Convention is a strong symbol of the international community’s commitment to include the disability perspective in all aspects of society and development'. 'While symbols are no doubt important, this commitment now needs to be fully integrated into all current and future development frameworks and interventions,' he added. PANA correspondent, who covered the meeting, reported that both the UN chief and the President of the General Assembly urged countries to spare no effort in implementing the outcome document and work to achieve truly inclusive societies and ensure a life of dignity for all. At the meeting, world leaders adopted resolution that called for development that affords persons with disabilities opportunities for productive employment and decent work and access to basic social services. The meeting’s outcome document, entitled: 'The Way Forward: a disability-inclusive agenda towards 2015 and beyond', reaffirms countries’ commitment to work together on this issue and support the aims of the CRPD. The meeting was organised with participation of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UN World Health Organisation (WHO) and other UN agencies, funds and programmes, as well as UN member states and civil society. More than 800 representatives of organisations of persons with disabilities attended the event. Among them was the UN Messenger of Peace and American renowned musician and songwriter, Stevie Wonder, who spoke of the importance of making education and information materials accessible to persons with disabilities. Mr. Wonder said: 'For society and development to include persons with disabilities, we need to have equal access to education and to knowledge and information. Yet out of millions of publications each year, fewer than five per cent are made available in accessible formats for visually impaired persons.' He also noted that 'in developing countries, an even smaller percentage of publications are available in accessible formats'. 'I know that working together we can create a world where persons with disabilities face no limit and can freely work, enjoy life and contribute their talents to society,' he added. Pana 24/09/2013