pation" of disabled persons in social life and development and of "equality" rests with individual countries and that international action should be directed to assist and support national efforts in this regard;

1. Adopts the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons, as set forth in recommendation 1 (IV) of the annex to the report of the Advisory Committee for the International Year of Disabled Persons at its fourth session, 49

2. Calls upon all Member States, all relevant non-governmental organizations and organizations of disabled persons and, through a reallocation of existing resources, calls also upon all organs, organizations and agencies of the United Nations system to ensure early implementation of the World Programme of Action concerning disabled persons and

3. Decides to evaluate at its forty-second session, with the help of the SecretaryGeneral, the implementation of the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons.

49 Ibid., para. 99.

APPENDIX 3

TEXT OF U.N. RESOLUTION 37/53 ON THE "IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WORLD PROGRAMME OF ACTION CONCERNING DISABLED PERSONS" ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY DECEMBER 3, 1982, SUBMITTED BY HON. JOHN MCDONALD

Date: December 3, 1982. Adopted without a recorded vote. Meeting, 90. Report: A/ 37/632.

The General Assembly.

Recalling its resolutions 31/123 of December 16, 1976, by which it proclaimed the year 1981 International Year of Disabled Persons, 32/133 of December 16, 1977, by which it established the Advisory Committee for the International Year of Disabled Persons, 33/170 of December 20, 1978, 34/158 of December 17, 1979, in which it, inter alia, decided to expand the theme of the International Year of Disabled Persons to "Full participation and equality", 35/133 of December 13, 1980, 36/77 of December 8, 1981 and 37/52 of December 3, 1982, in which it adopted the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons. 50

Recognizing that the International Year of Disabled Persons contributed to the acceptance by the community of the right of disabled persons to participate fully in the social life and development of their societies and to enjoy living conditions equal to those of their fellow citizens;

Convinced that the International Year of Disabled Persons gave a genuine and meaningful impetus to activities related to equalization of opportunities for disabled persons, as well as prevention and rehabilitation at all levels;

Expressing its appreciation to the Advisory Committee for the International Year of Disabled Persons for its work, in particular for its contribution to the formulation of the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons;

Expressing its satisfaction with the efforts of Member States during the International Year of Disabled Persons to improve the conditions and well-being of disabled persons and their willingness to involve disabled persons and their organizations in all matters of concern to them;

Also expressing its satisfaction with the initiatives taken by the specialized agencies and other organizations and organizations of the United Nations system, nongovernmental organizations and, in particular, organizations of disabled persons; Encouraged by the emergence of organizations of disabled persons in all parts of the world and their positive influence on the image and condition of persons with a disability;

Having considered with appreciation the Vienna Affirmative Action Plan adopted by the World Symposium of Experts on Technical Co-operation among Developing Countries and Technical Assistance in Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation, 51 which emphasized that, in developing countries, efforts to prevent disabilities should be intensified and standards of rehabilitation for disabled persons should be as high as possible;

Noting in particular the results of the meetings organized for the International Year of Disabled Persons by the regional commissions, which stressed the need for more efficient technical co-operation at the regional and subregional levels in the training of rehabilitation personnel, the production of prosthetic appliances and aids using locally available resources and also stressed the need for an interregional exchange of expreience in the elaboration of national programmes for the development of such services;52

Stressing that the primary resonsibility for promoting effective measures for prevention of disability, rehabilitation and the realization of the goals of full participation and equality of disabled persons rests with the individual countries and that in this regard international co-operation is highly desirable and should be directed to assisting and supporting national efforts;

50 A/37/351/Add. 1 and Add. 1/corr. 1, para. 99.

51 IYDP/SYMP/L. 2/Rev. 1.

52 See A/37/351 and Corr. 1.

Believing that, in addition to national programmes, an effective implementation of the World Programme of Action would be assisted by activities at the international level by the organs, organizations and agencies of the United Nations system, the non-governmental organizations and the organizations of disabled persons;

Recognizing that such activities will be difficult to finance at the present time and that every effort must be made to reallocate existing budgets within the United Nations system;

1. Requests the Secretary-General to assist in the early implementation of the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons by ensuring its wide distribution and promotion;

2. Requests Member States to develop plans related to the equalization of opportunities for disabled persons, as well as to prevention and rehabilitation, and thereby ensure early implementation of the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons;

3. Requests all organs, organizations and agencies of the United Nations system to formulate and undetake measures within their sphere of competence, through a reallocation of existing resources, to ensure early implementation of the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons and requests, in particular, the regional commission to implement suitable programmes, on the understanding that effective consultation and co-ordination between the various bodies is essential;

4. Requests the Secretary-General to establish interorganizational task forces as recommended by the Advisory Committee for the International Year of Disabled Persons at its third and fourth sessions in order to implement support services, as embodied in paragraph 17 of General Assembly resolution 36/77, within the existing arrangements for interagency co-ordination in order to support national and regional activities in the developing regions in the fields of prevention, rehabilitation and equalization of opportunities;

5. Encourages the Secretary-General to find the means to provide the Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs of the Secretariat with the necessary resources to enable it to ensure follow-up to the International Year of Disabled Persons and to facilitate the implementation of the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons.

6. Requests the Secretary-General to continue the consultative services to Member States concerning the design of national programmes for the prevention of disability, rehabilitation and equalization of opportunities for disabled persons and to develop a practical check list dealing with the equalization of opportunities for disabled persons which could be used by consultants in discussion with Governments of Member States, and to compile and distribute information on available technical and financial resources to assist developing countries in the prevention of disability, rehabilitation and equalization of opportunities;

7. Further requests the Secretary-General to continue to give appropriate priority to activities within the programmes for disabled persons with regard to organizations of disabled persons;

8. Again urges all organs, organizations and agencies of the United Nations system to undertake new measures or expedite those already under way to improve employment opportunities for disabled persons within these bodies at all levels and to improve access to their buildings and facilities and to their information sources, and requests the Secretary-General to submit a report on these measures to the General Assembly at its thirty-ninth session;

9. Requests the Secretary-General, in consultation with Governments, to examine the need and possibility of continuing the Trust Fund for the International Year of Disabled Persons for the purpose of assisting Governments, at their request, in the implementation of the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons and to submit a report thereon to the General Assembly at it thirty-eighth session; 10. Requests all Governments in a position to do so, the United Nations Development Programme and all relevant United Nations organs, organizations and agencies to assist Governments of developing countries, at their request, in the formulation of national policies and programmes for disabled persons;

11. Proclaims the period 1983-1992 United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons as a long-term plan of action, on the understanding that no additional resources from the United Nations system will be needed for this purpose, and encourages Member States to utilize this period as one of the means to implement the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons;

12. Encourages Governments to proclaim national days for the disabled;

13. Urges international organizations and funding bodies to give higher priority to human resources development, in particular to training activities in the fields of

prevention and rehabilitation and to enhance the equalization of opportunities and the participation of disabled persons;

14. Requests the organizations of the United Nations system to recognize the needs of disabled persons in their activities relating to the International Youth Year and in international and regional congressess and meetings that they sponsor;

15. Requests the World Health Organization, in the light of the experience of the International Year of Disabled Persons, to review its definitions of impairmen, disability and handicap in consultation with organizations of disabled persons and other appropriate bodies;

16. Requests the Secretary-General to explore the possibility of convening in 1987 a meeting of experts, consisting largely of disabled persons, to prepare a report that would enable the Secretary-General to help the General Assembly at its fortysecond session to evaluate the implementation of the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons as provided for in paragraph 3 of resolution 37/52; and 17. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its thirty-ninth session on the implementation of the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons.

APPENDIX 4

TEXT OF AGENDA ITEM 5 OF THE COMMISSION FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE UNITED NATIONS, ADOPTED ON FEBRUARY 16, 1983 REGARDING THE DECADE OF DISABLED PERSONS

SOCIAL INTEGRATION

Italy and United States of America: Revised Draft Resolution

The Commission for Social Development recommends to the Economic and Social Council the adoption of the following draft resolution: "The Decade of Disabled Persons

"The Economic and Social Council,

"Taking into consideration General Assembly resolution 37/52 of 3 December 1982 adopting the World Programme of Action Concerning Disabled Persons and resolution 37/53 of 3 December 1982 concerning the implementation of the World Programme of Action and proclaiming the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons,

"Noting with appreciation the reports of the Secretary General contained in documents E/CN.5/1983/13 and E/CN.5/1983/14 and the conclusions in those reports,

"Concerned with the necessity of keeping alive the momentum generated by the International Year of Disabled Persons in order to ensure the continuous implementation of the Year's main theme 'Full participation and equality',

"1.

Requests the Secretary General to submit a progress report containing national experience in the implementation of the World Programme of Action Concerning Disabled Persons and the related activities of the United Nations and other international organizations to be submitted to the Economic and Social Council through the Commission for Social Development at its twenty-ninth session;

"2.

Requests that this report should integrate in one document all other reports, such as the actual reports requested by the General Assembly in its resolution 31/82 of 13 December 1976, entitled 'Implementation of the Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons', and Economic and Social Council resolution 1979/14, entitled 'Prevention of disability', and that it should include a brief account of the progress achieved in developing criteria for monitoring the World Programme of Action;

"3. Calls upon all governmental and non-governmental organizations interested in disabled persons to take action to implement the objectives of the World Programme of Action and the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons, and invites full and direct participation of disabled persons themselves;