News Stories
Empowering people with disabilities vital for development targets Ban
3 December 2009 - Efforts to achieve global development targets must include improving living standards and quality of life for everyone, including the world’s 800 million people with disabilities, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, marking the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
Singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder designated UN Messenger of Peace
1 December 2009 - United States singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder is joining the prestigious roster of United Nations Messengers of Peace to advocate for the Organization’s work, with the artist blind since birth championing people with disabilities.
Darfur: over 300 former combatants discharged through UN-backed programme
25 November 2009 - More than 300 former combatants in Darfur, including women and disabled persons, have participated in a three-day discharge programme organized by the Government of Sudan with support from the joint African Union-United Nations mission in Darfur.
UN meeting calls for new technology policies for disabled in Asia-Pacific
15 October 2009 - A United Nations-backed gathering in the Republic of Korea wrapped up today calling for improved access to Internet and mobile phone technologies, among others, for some 400 million persons with disabilities living in the Asia-Pacific region.
Sport can change attitudes about people with disabilities, says top UN official
4 September 2009 - Sport can be a transformative force in altering attitudes of what communities think about people with disabilities as well as what these people feel about themselves, the United Nations official tasked with promoting sport for development and peace said today.
Countries gather at UN Headquarters to discuss improving disability rights
2 September 2009 - Representatives of dozens of countries have gathered today at United Nations Headquarters in New York for the start of a three-day meeting to map out practical ways to strengthen the rights of the world’s estimated 650 million persons with disabilities.
UNICEF mourns death of Special Olympics founder
13 August 2009 - The head of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has mourned the passing of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the founder of the Special Olympics, paying tribute to her dedication to giving hope and opportunities to children around the world living with disabilities.
UN applauds decision of United States to join landmark disability pact
31 July 2009 - The United Nations has welcomed the signing by the United States of the landmark treaty to protect and promote the rights of the world’s estimated 650 million people with disabilities.
Landmark disability pact provides road map to improve lives of millions UN official
6 March 2009 - People with disabilities suffer some of the worst violations of their human rights, but a groundbreaking United Nations treaty that entered into force last year provides a road map to improve this situation, the world body’s top rights official said today.
More than 2,000 children killed daily in avoidable accidents, says UN
10 December 2008 - Over 2,000 children are killed daily from injuries sustained in preventable accidents and every year tens of millions more suffer injuries that often leave them with lifelong disabilities, according to a new United Nations report.