The International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) is observed on December 3 every year with an aim to spread awareness about the rights and well-being of people with disabilities. It also aims to raise awareness about the political, social and economic discrepancies faced by persons with disabilities.
History and significance
The observance of International Day of Persons with Disabilities began in 1992 after the United Nations General Assembly passed the Resolution 47/3 proclaiming it as an international day.
Later in 2006, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) was also adopted with an aim to work towards creating equal opportunities for persons with disabilities through the 2030 agenda for sustainable development.
The day is crucial as it highlights the unequal opportunities, discrimination, and lack of empathy that persons with disabilities have to contend with every other day. Panel discussions and cultural events are held across the world with an aim to promote their rights and perspectives.
Theme
This year the theme of International Day of Persons with Disabilities is ‘Transformative solutions for inclusive development: The role of innovation in fuelling an accessible and equitable world.’ This year, the celebration will focus on the need for innovative solutions to help create an inclusive developmental model to aid people with disabilities.
Also read: International Day of Disabled Persons: These 5 restaurants are run by specially-abled teams
On December 5, a virtual meeting will take place from 9 am to 12 pm, New York Time, where the agenda will keep in mind sustainable development goals. These discussions will raise topics on how knowledge, skills and employment opportunities can be best utilised for inclusive development with the help of assistive technologies for people with disabilities.
Subjects like how inclusive development for disabled people can reduce or eliminate societal inequality, and discrimination will also be discussed. Further, the role of the sports sector in addressing the above issues for sustainable and inclusive development will be a part of the discussion, as per a News18 report.
