International Day of People with Disabilities

the International day of people with disabilities logo on a dark blue background

December 3rd marks International Day of People With Disabilities (IDPWD). The theme of this year’s IDPWD is Quality of Life for Persons with Disabilities from a Human Rights Lens as Outlined in the UNCRPD. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities contains eight guiding Principles and thirty Articles. Article 28, Adequate standard of living and social protection states 

“Parties recognize the right of persons with disabilities to an adequate standard of living for themselves and their families, including adequate food, clothing, and housing, and to the continuous improvement of living conditions, and shall take appropriate steps to safeguard and promote the realization of this right without discrimination on the basis of disability.” The official IDPWD flag will fly at City Hall on December 1, 2023.

Read a summary of the municipality's accessibility strategy and the 30 action items identified for improving accessibility and representation for individuals with disabilities.”

Transcript: International Day of Persons with Disabilities
Proclamation Reading

Hi I’m Mayor Mike Savage and I’m going to read the proclamation for the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which is December the 3rd.

Whereas there are over 1 billion people living in the world with some form of disability;

Persons with disabilities not only face physical barriers but also social, economic, and attitudinal barriers. Persons with disabilities are the world’s largest minority group. Persons with disabilities and the issue of disability have remained largely invisible to the mainstream development framework and its processes.

On March 11, 2010 Canada ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities - I was in the House of Commons then - with Nova Scotia providing its support. This year’s theme “Human rights: the foundation for a Quality-of-Life for persons with disabilities,” highlights the importance of first voice engagement in defining Canada’s Disability Benefit and its impact on the Quality-of-Life Index for Persons with Disabilities in Nova Scotia.  

As outlined in the UNCRPD, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities contains eight guiding Principles and thirty Articles. Article 28, Adequate standard of living and social protection states “Parties recognize the right of persons with disabilities to an adequate standard of living for themselves and their families, including adequate food, clothing, and housing, and to the continuous improvement of living conditions, and shall take appropriate steps to safeguard and promote the realization of this right without discrimination on the basis of disability.”

So therefore, be it resolved that I, Mayor Mike Savage, on behalf of Halifax Regional Council, on the eve of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, do hereby proclaim, December 3, 2023 as “International Day of Persons with Disabilities” in Halifax Regional Municipality, and that as a municipality, we can promote the participation of individuals with disabilities in leadership positions.

Dated in Halifax, Nova Scotia the 2nd day of December 2023.

Mike Savage, Mayor.