International Day of Disabled Persons, proclaimed by the collaborative effort United Nations, is to celebrate and acknowledge the experience and capabilities of people with disabilities. The Day was initially proclaimed in 1992 to commemorate the anniversary of the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons, adopted by the General Assembly to promote understanding about disability issues and to increase awareness of gains to be derived from integrating disabled persons into all aspects of political, social economic and cultural life.

UNDP and UNICEF offices in Uzbekistan supported the Women’s Committee of Uzbekistan, Special Olympics Uzbekistan, and Social Adaptation Center to observe the International Day of Disabled Persons in Uzbekistan.

Activities of the week included visits of children from several local schools to the schools for disabled, such as the boarding school for blind people. During these special days, children from both types of schools and the Special Olympics Uzbekistan athletes shared their vision, demonstrated their talents by performing and singing for each other, and enjoyed a celebratory cake. These visits aimed to foster better understanding and inclusion of people with disabilities and to promote friendship and exchange among children of all schools. The gala concert of art groups of the disabled and the exhibition of children’s paintings in the concert hall Zerafshan that hosted nearly 200 children wrapped up the week’s activities aimed at the observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons in Uzbekistan.

Komila Rakhimova, UNDP Gender Specialist, said: "The issue of transforming existing systems to be friendly to and inclusive of people with a disability is high on the agenda. Neglect of this group of people is not just a huge loss of input they could make into science, economy, literature, art, and culture but also a grave human rights abuse. This event calls for everyone, government, civil society, international organizations and individuals, to make an input each day, not just today, into achieving a real inclusive society – "a society for all".

Week’s activities were organized in the framework of UNDP project Promotion of Rights of Disabled Individuals through Sport. The project aims to promote rights and well-being of people with intellectual disabilities in Uzbekistan by developing the capacity of the Special Olympics Uzbekistan movement, which strives to provide long-term benefit to intellectually disabled individuals’ health, self-esteem and social skills through sport activities. The project will contribute towards achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDG)s through fostering cooperation and partnerships among youth, families, schools, local communities, public and private sectors, as well as raising awareness of population on contribution of people with intellectual disabilities in development.