More than 600 million people - about 10% of the world population - suffer some kind of disability, with 80% of them living in developing countries. The United Nations works to promote full participation of the disabled in social life and the same political and civil rights as others. In 1971, the General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Mentally Retarded Persons and, in 1975, the Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons. 

In 1981, the International Year for Disabled People (IYDP) was proclaimed. The resulting document - World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons, adopted in 1982, promotes the goals of full participation of disabled persons with the same urgency to all countries regardless of their level of development. 

The General Assembly, underlining the importance of the implementation of the principles of this programme, proclaimed the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons 1983-1992. In 1992 the General Assembly devoted two plenary meetings to the assessment of the outcome of this decade. As a result, the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities were adopted in 1993. These rules serve as a basic instrument and guidelines in the field of disability.  

The increasing awareness about the situation of disabled people has had an impact on the international UN conferences, where this question has been integrated into the programme. 

A Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was adopted on 13 December 2006.
The Division for Social Development works to strengthen international cooperation on matters relating to disability.    

For more information on human rights for persons with disabilities, see DagDok: Rights of the Disabled.