International Day of Disabled Persons 2007
In 1992, at the conclusion of the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons (1983-1992), the General Assembly proclaimed 3 December as the International Day of Disabled Persons to celebrate and acknowledge the experience and capabilities of people with disabilities (PWDs).
Employment is one of the main issues for PWDs. In explaining this year’s theme “Decent Work for Persons with Disabilities,” UN Enable highlights Article 27 titled “Work and Employment” of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
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In every society very few persons with disabilities are gainfully employed. In fact, in most countries up to 80% of persons with disabilities of working age are unemployed. Most others are under-employed or will never have access to the labour market. Everywhere there is a sizable gap between the working conditions and employment trends of persons with disabilities and those without a disability. All too often persons with disabilities are dependent upon begging, hand-outs, and welfare for their livelihood, not through any meaningful employment. The denial of opportunities and negative attitudes are the main reasons why persons with disabilities are disproportionally absent from the workforce.
This year’s International day of Disabled Persons focuses on how to ensure decent work for persons with disabilities and on ways to tap into the abilities of this marginalized talent pool. The recently adopted Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities recognizes in Article 27 the rights of persons with disabilities to work and employment on an equal basis with others. It stresses the right of persons with disabilities to earn a living from freely chosen work, and to work in an environment that is both accessible and accepting.
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Pres. Gloria M. Arroyo signed Proclamation No. 1157 last October 16, 2006 declaring December 3 as “International Day of Persons with Disabilities in the Philippines.” The National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons (NCWDP) is the lead agency with the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) as partner agencies.