December 3 – is the International day of persons with disabilities. The United Nations (UN) proclaimed the 3rd December as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and every year this day has a new theme. The theme that should point out the most important direction of society’s development which should influence the state’s politics and make the society understand its role and each person’s role in the possibility to change the world to better.
In 2012 such theme is: “Removing barriers to create an inclusive and accessible society for all”. This theme is really actual and important for 154 countries which adopted the Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities. It is the Convention that gives these countries the way of understanding disability and effective solving of disability problems. The Convention helps to solve difficult problems the society faces when trying to consider disability problems.
How should we call December 3, 2012 for the Republic of Belarus? The year of unjustified hopes? The citizens of the Republic of Belarus know that there are no legal, political, economic barriers to sign the Convention. We need to develop our country in the spirit of the age, to create the conditions for full and equal participation of all the country’s citizens in spite of disabilities. And we can do it all with the help of adoption and realization of the Convention.
That is why we offer to proclaim this year – The Year of Accessibility! Accessibility of the realization of the rights of citizens with disabilities equally with other citizens without discrimination. The adoption and ratification of the Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities and Optional Protocol by the Republic of Belarus should be the first step. This will prove the social orientation of Belarusian state, will show the respect to 519 000 citizens with disabilities and will let us all say that we are moving from ACCESSIBILITY TO EQUALITY.
