Human rights of persons with disabilities.
| Publisher | UN Commission on Human Rights |
| Author | UN Commission on Human Rights (52nd sess. : 1996 : Geneva) |
| Publication Date | 19 April 1996 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | E/CN.4/RES/1996/27 |
| Reference | 52 |
| Cite as | UN Commission on Human Rights, Human rights of persons with disabilities., 19 April 1996, E/CN.4/RES/1996/27, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3b00f03c8.html [accessed 22 May 2023] |
Human rights of persons with disabilities
Commission on Human Rights resolution 1996/27
The Commission on Human Rights, Mindful of the pledge made by States, under the Charter of the United Nations, to take action jointly and separately, in cooperation with the United Nations, in order to promote a better quality of life, full employment, and conditions for economic and social progress and development, Recalling the provisions of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Welcoming the unreserved reaffirmation in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action (A/CONF.157/23) of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of persons with disabilities and the recognition in the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (A/CONF.171/13) and the Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development (A/CONF.166/9) of a pressing need for, inter alia, the realization of the goals of full participation and equality for persons with disabilities, as well as the recognition by the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace, of the special needs of women with disabilities, Recalling General Assembly resolution 48/96 of 20 December 1993, in which the Assembly adopted the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities, Reaffirming the continuing validity and value of the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons, adopted by the General Assembly at its thirty-seventh session, which provides a firm and innovative framework for promoting and protecting the human rights of persons with disabilities, Re-emphasizing the responsibility of Governments for removing or facilitating the removal, as far as possible, of barriers and obstacles to the full integration and participation of persons with disabilities in society, and supporting their efforts to develop national policies to reach specific objectives, Recognizing the contribution of non-governmental organizations, especially organizations of persons with disabilities, in the global effort to bring about full participation and equality for persons with disabilities and to ensure the full enjoyment of human rights by persons with disabilities, Noting the reports by Mr. Leandro Despouy, Special Rapporteur of the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, and the Centre for Human Rights publication Human Rights and Disabled Persons (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.92.XIV.4), in which international mechanisms for the protection and promotion of the human rights of persons with disabilities, such as an ombudsman, are proposed, Concerned at the extent of disabilities caused by the indiscriminate use of anti-personnel mines, particularly among civilian populations,1. Calls upon the Secretary-General to maintain the integrity of programmes within the United Nations system relating to persons with disabilities, including the United Nations Voluntary Fund on Disability, in order to promote the rights and the equalization of opportunities and full inclusion within societies of persons with disabilities;
2. Welcomes the work done by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to draw attention to the recommendations of the Special Rapporteur on disability of the Commission for Social Development, and calls upon States to cooperate fully with the Special Rapporteur, to meet his requests for information and to provide relevant data to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights;
3. Urges non-governmental organizations active in the protection and promotion of the human rights of persons with disabilities to provide relevant information to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and to the Centre for Human Rights; 4. Encourages all the human rights treaty bodies to respond positively to its invitation to monitor the compliance of States with their commitments under the relevant human rights instruments in order to ensure full enjoyment of those rights by persons with disabilities;
5. Urges all Governments to implement, with the cooperation and assistance of organizations, the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities;
6. Invites Governments and the private sector to contribute to the United Nations Voluntary Fund on Disability, with a view to providing additional support for the implementation of the Standard Rules, within the context of the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons;
7. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure appropriate support for the effective functioning of the Long-Term Strategy to Implement the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons to the Year 2000 and Beyond (A/49/435, annex);
8. Encourages the Secretary-General and the United Nations agencies concerned to finalize, in consultation with Member States, the development of a global disability indicator in the Commission for Social Development, and also encourages the Special Rapporteur and all human rights treaty bodies to make use of it, where appropriate, in their future work;
9. Expresses grave concern that situations of armed conflict have especially devastating consequences for the human rights of persons with disabilities;
10. Expresses deep concern at the indiscriminate use of anti-personnel mines, causing a high number of disabilities among civilian populations in all continents, in particular among women and children, and calls upon all Governments and United Nations agencies to extend their assistance in alleviating the suffering of those victims;
11. Welcomes international efforts aimed at restricting and prohibiting the use of anti-personnel mines, and calls upon Governments to contribute to demining activities, thereby reducing the number of disabilities caused by those weapons;
12. Requests the Secretary-General to report biennially to the General Assembly on the progress of efforts to ensure the full recognition and enjoyment of the human rights of persons with disabilities;
13. Also requests the Secretary-General to make available to the Commission at its fifty-third session the latest report of the Special Rapporteur on disability of the Commission for Social Development on his monitoring of the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities;
14. Reaffirms its commitment to ensuring that the human rights of persons with disabilities and their concerns for full participation in community affairs continue to be addressed in all of its work; 15. Decides to continue to consider the question at its fifty-third session under the agenda item entitled "Report of the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities".
51st meeting 19 April 1996 [Adopted without a vote]