6.5 Disability

Posted Fri, 2013-01-18 06:22

Key documents

Disability (EB132/10)

Secretariat note

At the request of a Member State, this report describes several important developments since the last resolution on disability was adopted in 2005 (WHA58.23) and the current health sector response. The Board is invited to note the report and consider a draft resolution. 

PHM comment pre-EB

Report of discussion

The first in taking the floor was Ecuador on behalf of UNASUR Region that acknowledged the Secretariat for bringing this item into the discussion and recalled to Ecuadorian national programme on disability as a good example of south-south cooperation. Ecuador along whit Lithuania on behalf of EU, Norway, Mexico, Panama, and the USA supported the draft resolution on disability and proposed some amendments.
Nigeria, speaking on behalf of the African Region, requested WHO for an increased capacity building at national level as well as for including disability on the post-2015 MDGs agenda. This request was also made by Sweden that recalled the importance of including the disability in a human right framework and expressed its expectation for the High Level Meeting of the General Assembly on disability and development which will be held on September 2013.

 

Cuba shared its experience on dealing with disability by adopting a multisectoral and intersectoral approach based on a close collaboration with different sectors of the government. It was backed by South Africa reaffirming that the challenges experienced by people living with disability should be tackled by a broad approach.
In its statement Colombia requested the introduction of indicators on access to infrastructure and the need for disaggregate data according to sex and ethnicity in order to provide useful insights for developing better health strategies.
Among others, Iran – due to the epidemiological importance of these conditions – asked WHO to recognizes disability as a world development priority.

 

Finally Venezuela, requested EB to consider the possibility of having minimum WHO standards for workers with disability as some countries already did.

At the end of the discussion, the Chair asked the Secretariat to prepare a conference paper for the discussion which remains open.

Report from 24 January 2013 (Day 4)

This agenda item was reopened and the draft resolution on disability was approved by the EB with the amendments proposed during the discussion held on Tuesday January 22.

PHM comment post-EB

Other reports and commentary