Recalling its resolution 31/123 of 16 December 1976, by which it proclaimed the year 1981 International Year of Disabled Persons,

Recalling also its resolutions 32/133 of 16 December 1977, by which it established the Advisory Committee for the International Year of Disabled Persons, and 33/170 of 20 December 1978,

Recognizing that the International Year of Disabled Persons should promote the realization of the right of disabled persons to participate fully in the social life and development of the societies in which they live and their enjoyment of living conditions equal to those of other citizens, as well as an equal share in the improvements in living conditions resulting from social and economic development,

Recognizing also that the International Year of Disabled Persons should enhance the contributions disabled persons can make as full members of society,

Acknowledging that disability should be viewed as a relationship between an individual and his or her environment,

Convinced that the International Year of Disabled Persons should result in societies responding more fully to the special difficulties which disabled persons may encounter in developing their human potential,

Convinced also that, since a large number of disabled persons are victims of war and other forms of violence, the International Year of Disabled Persons could be appropriately used as an occasion to emphasize the need for continued and reinforced co-operation among nations for world peace,

Stressing the importance of following up the activities of the International Year of Disabled Persons with a long-term programme of action,

Noting that the Secretary-General will appoint an Executive Secretary for the International Year of Disabled Persons,/1

Noting also the relevant parts of the 1978 Report on the World Social Situation/2

Taking note of the report of the Advisory Committee for the International Year of Disabled Persons on its first session, held from 19 to 23 March 1979,/3

1.Decides to expand the theme of the International Year of Disabled Persons to "Full participation and equality";

2.Approves the recommendations made by the Advisory Committee for the International Year of Disabled Persons at its first session, contained in the report of the Secretary-General,/4 and adopts them as the Plan of Action for the International Year of Disabled Persons;/5

3.Stresses the pragmatic orientation of the activities of the International Year of Disabled Persons;

4.Affirms that the major focus of the International Year of Disabled Persons is at the national level, with supporting activities at the regional and international levels;

5.Invites Member States to consider activities at the national level along the lines of the Plan of Action and in ways that are in conformity with the culture, customs and traditions of each country;

6.Also invites the relevant specialized agencies and the concerned United Nations bodies to devote special attention to the implementation of the Plan of Action;

7.Affirms further that, in the implementation of the Plan of Action, special attention should be given to the disabled in developing countries through the provision of technical assistance, both multilateral and bilateral, for the prevention of disabilities and for rehabilitation;

8.Requests the Secretary-General, in this regard, to accord priority to the organization of an action-oriented international symposium of experts on technical assistance in the field of disability and technical co-operation among developing countries, as recommended by the Advisory Committee;/6

9.Requests the Secretary-General to explore the possibilities of continuing the activities of the International Institute for the Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons in Developing Countries and to submit a report in this respect to the General Assembly at its thirty-fifth session;

10.Invites the Chairman of the Advisory Committee to participate in promoting the observance of the International Year of Disabled Persons, and requests the Secretary-General to provide every means to assist him in this regard, including liaison functions at Headquarters;

11.Requests the Secretary-General to provide the secretariat of the International Year of Disabled Persons with all the resources necessary to follow up the implementation of the Plan of Action, including the public information activities;

12.Also requests the Secretary-General to convene a meeting of the Advisory Committee in 1980 to examine the implementation of the Plan of Action and to begin the consideration of a long-term programme of action;

13.Further requests the Secretary-General to take urgent steps to publicize fully the International Year of Disabled Persons and, in this connexion, to choose an emblem for the Year at the end of 1979;

14.Requests the specialized agencies and other United Nations bodies concerned to prepare concrete and co-ordinated plans for the International Year of Disabled Persons, to be submitted to the Advisory Committee at its session in 1980;

15.Invites the regional commissions of the United Nations and other regional intergovernmental organizations to formulate, as early as possible, their contributions to the activities of the International Year of Disabled Persons;

16.Stresses the importance of the active participation of non-governmental organizations, especially organizations of disabled persons themselves, at both the national and international levels, in support of the International Year of Disabled Persons;

17.Welcomes the voluntary contributions already made by some Governments to the International Year of Disabled Persons and appeals for further voluntary contributions for the Year;

18.Invites Member States to submit national reports to the Secretary-General on their implementation of the Plan of Action and, in particular, to consider elaborating, on the basis of their experiences, national long-term programmes of action in the field of disability;

19.Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its thirty-fifth session an item entitled "International Year of Disabled Persons" and requests the Secretary-General to report on the implementation of the present resolution.

105th plenary meeting
17 December 1979