January 20, 2016: The World Blind Union is pleased to
commemorate the 70th anniversary
of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The Council was one
of the principal bodies (alongside the UN Secretariat)
originally concerned with disability issues, and it has worked hard to keep
disability at the forefront of the UN agenda ever since. ECOSOC’s successes in
the area of disability rights are too numerous to list, however, we put
together a list of highlights of ECOSOC’s achievements that have positively
impacted on the equality, inclusion and empowerment of persons with
disabilities (PwD) globally:
- 1975 – Adoption of resolution 1921 dealing with disability prevention and
rehabilitation of PwD
- The 1990s – Adoption of resolutions on children with
disabilities, equalization of opportunities for PwD and strengthening regional
support for PwD into the 21st century
- 2006 – Supported the creation of the CRPD, the
main instrument for providing basic human rights to PwD around the world (to
learn more, please visit our website at:
www.worldblindunion.org/English/our-work/our-priorities/Pages/un-convention.aspx).
- 2010-2015 – Successfully mainstreamed disability in the
development agenda and helped to ensure inclusion of PwD in the Sustainable
Development Goals
- 2013 – Supported the creation
of the Marrakesh
Treaty, which will allow for
published materials to be reproduced in accessible formats and then shared
across borders, benefiting blind and print disabled persons all over the world
by addressing the “book famine” (to learn more, please visit our website at:
www.worldblindunion.org/English/our-work/our-priorities/Pages/right-2-read-campaign.aspx)
The President of
ECOSOC has organized a special high-level meeting on
Friday 22 January 2016 that will “honour ECOSOC's history in promoting social
progress and development while looking
ahead to its role in achieving the SDGs and related commitments.” NGOs in active consultative status with
ECOSOC are invited to join the proceedings. You can find out more at the following
link: www.un.org/en/ecosoc/commemoration70/
The World Blind Union (WBU) is the global
organization representing the estimated 285 million people worldwide who are
blind or partially sighted. Members consist of organizations run by blind
people advocating on their own behalf and
organizations that serve the blind, in over 190 countries, as well as
international organizations working in the field of vision impairment.
For further information, contact:
World Blind Union
Caitlin Reid
Communications Coordinator
Caitlin.Reid@wbu.ngo