3 -DISABLED PERSONS, MUST BE INCLUDED IN THE DESIGN, IMPLEMENTATION AND
EVALUATION OF POLICIES, PROGRAMMES THAT AFFECT THEIR LIVES

4 -UN panel proposes reform of human rights commission


14 -UN MARKS DAY OF DISABLED PERSONS WITH CALL FOR THEIR FULL INCLUSION
IN SOCIETY



-DISABLED PERSONS, MUST BE INCLUDED IN THE DESIGN, IMPLEMENTATION AND
EVALUATION OF POLICIES, PROGRAMMES THAT AFFECT THEIR LIVES

 (UNIC)—UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in his message on International
Day of Disabled Persons, 3 December 2004, said that persons with
disabilities are the best experts on how to remove barriers to their
participation, and must be included in the design, implementation and
evaluation of policies and programmes that affect their lives.
Full text of his message reads:

“This year’s International Day of Disabled Persons focuses on the goal
of full and equal participation by persons with disabilities in social
life and development, which is a central message of the World Programme
of Action concerning Disabled Persons.

“For many years, persons with disabilities tended to be viewed as
“objects” of welfare policies.  Today, as a result of a dramatic shift
in perspective that has been taking place over the past two decades,
persons with disabilities have started to be viewed as people who must
enjoy the full spectrum of civil, political, social, cultural and
economic rights.  This process is admittedly slow and uneven, but it is
taking place in all parts of the world.  The motto of the international
disability movement, “Nothing About Us Without Us”, encapsulates the
shift.

“The right to make one’s own choices and to participate in all areas of
life is figuring prominently in current efforts to elaborate an
international convention on the rights and dignity of persons with
disabilities.  Those efforts are making good progress, and the process
itself has seen an unprecedented degree of engagement by persons with
disabilities and their organizations in international negotiations,
bringing their first-hand experience and expertise to bear on disability
issues.

“Indeed, it has become increasingly clear that persons with disabilities
are the best experts on how to remove barriers to their participation,
and must be included in the design, implementation and evaluation of
policies and programmes that affect their lives.  Moreover, no society
can claim to be based on justice and equality without persons with
disabilities taking decisions as full-fledged members.

“On this observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons, let us
reaffirm our commitment to fundamental changes in our thinking about the
place of persons with disabilities in society.  And let us pledge to
work even harder towards fully inclusive societies.”

-UN panel proposes reform of human rights commission
 A high-level panel appointedby UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has
called for a major overhaulof the Geneva-based UN human rights watchdog
to make it perform effectively, as part of a proposed sweeping reform of
the United Nations.     The 53-member Commission on Human Rights is
entrusted with promoting respect for human rights globally, fostering
international cooperation in human rights, responding to violations in
specific countries and assisting countries in building their human
rights capacity.     "In recent years, the commission's capacity to
perform these tasks has been undermined by eroding credibility and
professionalism," said the panel of 16 former prominent diplomats in a
report to be officially launched on Thursday.     The report identified
six major threats to humankind in the 21st century, including terrorism,
HIV/AIDS and weapons of mass destruction, and put forward 101 proposals
to address them, including reforms of various UN organs.     "We are
concerned that in recent years states have sought membership of the
commission not to strengthen human rights but toprotect themselves
against criticism or to criticize others," the panel said.     "The
commission cannot be credible if it is seen to be maintaining double
standards in addressing human rights concerns,"it warned.     The report
listed the UN agency's membership as one of the mostdifficult and
sensitive points.     "In recent years, the issue of which states are
elected to the commission has become a source of heated international
tension, with no positive impact on human rights and a negative impact
on the work of the commission," it noted.     The report recommended
that the membership of the commission beexpanded to universal membership
and an advisory council or panel be set up to support its work.     It
also suggested that in the longer term, the Commission on Human Rights,
which is currently subsidiary to the Economic and Social Council, be
upgraded to a "Human Rights Council." Enditem
www.chinaview.cn
-

-UN MARKS DAY OF DISABLED PERSONS WITH CALL FOR THEIR FULL INCLUSION IN
SOCIETY

From New York to Bangkok, from Geneva to Kabul, the United Nations today
marked the
<"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2004/note5907.doc.htm">International
Day of Disabled Persons, with Secretary-General Kofi Annan calling on
the global community to work even harder for fully inclusive societies.

"Today, as a result of a dramatic shift in perspective that has been
taking place over the past two decades, persons with disabilities have
started to be viewed as people who must enjoy the full spectrum of
civil, political, social, cultural and economic rights," he said in a
commemorative message.

"No society can claim to be based on justice and equality without
persons with disabilities taking decisions as full-fledged members," he
added.

The 2004 observance of the Day, first held in 1992, focuses on the
involvement of persons with disabilities in the planning of strategies
and policies that affect their lives.

At UN Headquarters in New York the Day featured the showing of three
short documentaries by award-winning filmmaker Victor Pineda - "In Cuba
Disabled," on the lives of people with disabilities in the developing
world; "Broken Balkans," which looks at life with disabilities in the
former Yugoslavia; and "A World Enabled," featuring testimonies of
delegates drafting the first-ever UN convention on the rights of persons
with disabilities.

"The observance of the Day is an opportunity to foster changes in
attitudes towards persons with disabilities and eliminate barriers to
their participation in all aspects of life", Johan Schölvinck of the UN
Department of Economic and Social Affairs said.

"The involvement of persons with disabilities in elaborating the
convention on their own rights is an excellent example of how the
principle of full participation can be put into practice."

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg issued a proclamation recognizing
the Day, declaring: "This important event fosters an understanding of
disability issues as it mobilizes support for efforts to promote the
dignity, rights, and well-being of persons with disabilities."

Earlier this year, the UN Department of Public Information identified
efforts to draft a
<"http://www.un.org/events/tenstories/story.asp?storyID=1000">
treaty on the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities as one of
<"http://www.un.org/events/tenstories/">ten stories the world should
hear more about.

In Geneva today, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour
called for the adoption of that proposed convention. "For far too long,
persons with disabilities have been denied equal access to basic rights
and fundamental freedoms, be they health care, employment, education,
the vote or participation in cultural activities."

On the other side of the world in Bangkok, Thailand, the UN Economic and
Social Commission for the Asia Pacific Region marked the day with an
exhibition, a forum of community members and the screening of
documentaries.

And in Kabul, Afghanistan, the UN Children's Fund
<"http://www.unicef.org/media/media_24422.html">(UNICEF) presented a
report identifying some of the key difficulties facing people with
disabilities as they strive to play a role in reconstruction efforts,
including the continuing stigma associated with disabilities in Afghan
society.

"We probably see examples of disability in Afghanistan every day, but
few of us fully appreciate the many challenges that disabled people face
in society," UNICEF Representative in Afghanistan Bernt Aasen said. "It
is essential that a new debate begins, today, on how opportunities can
be created for people with disabilities to play a fulfilling role in the
rebuilding of their nation."

The
<"http://www.unicef.org/media/files/PreliminaryfindingsAfghanistandisabi
lityreport.pdf">report calls for public information campaigns to present
the positive contributions that can be made by disabled people; improved
knowledge about causes of disabilities, and how people with disabilities
should be cared for; and advocacy by key influencers such as the media,
religious leaders and health workers.

It also advocates education about disabilities in schools, improved
health services for people with disabilities and access to public
buildings, and incentive schemes to encourage employers to recruit
people with disabilities.
World's Press Welcomes Release of Cuban Journalists - But Others Remain
in
Prison



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Organization for Defending Victims of Violence (ODVV), a
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