Welcome to the United Nations. It's your world
Autism is not limited to a single region or a country; it is a worldwide challenge that requires global action."
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Throughout its history, the United Nations family has promoted the rights and well-being of the disabled, including children with developmental disabilities. In 2008, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities entered into force, reaffirming the fundamental principle of universal human rights for all.
The United Nations General Assembly unanimously declared 2 April as World Autism Awareness Day (A/RES/62/139) to highlight the need to help improve the lives of children and adults who suffer from the disorder so they can lead full and meaningful lives.
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Resolution adopted by the General Assembly
[on the report of the Third Committee (A/62/435)]
62/139. World Autism Awareness Day
The General Assembly,
Recalling the 2005 World Summit Outcome1 and the United Nations Millennium
Declaration,2 as well as the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic, social and related fields,
Recalling also the Convention on the Rights of the Child3 and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 4 according to which children with disabilities should enjoy a full and decent life, in conditions which ensure dignity, promote self-reliance and facilitate the child’s active participation in the community, as well as the full enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms on an
equal basis with other children,
Affirming that ensuring and promoting the full realization of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all persons with disabilities is critical to achieving internationally agreed development goals,
Aware that autism is a lifelong developmental disability that manifests itself during the first three years of life and results from a neurological disorder that affects the functioning of the brain, mostly affecting children in many countries irrespective of gender, race or socio-economic status, and characterized by impairments in social interaction, problems with verbal and non -verbal communication and restricted, repetitive behaviour, interests and activities,5
Deeply concerned by the prevalence and high rate of autism in children in all regions of the world and the consequent development challenges to long-term health care, education, training and intervention programmes undertaken by Governments, non-governmental organizations and the private sector, as well as its tremendous impact on children, their families, communities and societies,
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1 See resolution 60/1.
2 See resolution 55/2.
3 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1577, No. 27531.
4 Resolution 61/106, annex I.
5 See International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, tenth revision
Recalling that early diagnosis and appropriate research and interventions are
vital to the growth and development of the individual,
1. Decides to designate 2 April as World Autism Awareness Day, to be
observed every year beginning in 2008;
2. Invites all Member States, relevant organizations of the United Nations
system and other international organizations, as well as civil society, including
non-governmental organizations and the private sector, to observe World Autism
Awareness Day in an appropriate manner, in order to raise public awareness of autism;
3. Encourages Member States to take measures to raise awareness
throughout society, including at the family level, regarding children with autism;
4. Requests the Secretary-General to bring the present resolution to the
attention of all Member States and United Nations organizations.
76th plenary meeting
18 December 2007
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Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol was adopted on 13 December 2006 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, and was opened for signature on 30 March 2007. There were 82 signatories to the Convention, 44 signatories to the Optional Protocol, and 1 ratification of the Convention. This is the highest number of signatories in history to a UN Convention on its opening day. It is the first comprehensive human rights treaty of the 21st century and is the first human rights convention to be open for signature by regional integration organizations. The Convention entered into force on 3May 2008.
The Convention follows decades of work by the United Nations to change attitudes and approaches to persons with disabilities. It takes to a new height the movement from viewing persons with disabilities as "objects" of charity, medical treatment and social protection towards viewing persons with disabilities as "subjects" with rights, who are capable of claiming those rights and making decisions for their lives based on their free and informed consent as well as being active members of society.
The Convention is intended as a human rights instrument with an explicit, social development dimension. It adopts a broad categorization of persons with disabilities and reaffirms that all persons with all types of disabilities must enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms. It clarifies and qualifies how all categories of rights apply to persons with disabilities and identifies areas where adaptations have to be made for persons with disabilities to effectively exercise their rights and areas where their rights have been violated, and where protection of rights must be reinforced.
The Convention was negotiated during eight sessions of an Ad Hoc Committee of the General Assembly from 2002 to 2006, making it the fastest negotiated human rights treaty.
Read the complete text of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at:http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=150
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# http://www.un.org/en/events/autismday/
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