World Down Syndrome Day

21 March 2012 –

“For too long, persons with Down Syndrome, including children, have been left on the margins of society,” said the Secretary-General, in a message delivered on his behalf by Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro at an event at UN Headquarters to mark World Down Syndrome Day – the first time it is being observed by the United Nations. “In many countries, they continue to face stigma and discrimination as well as legal, attitudinal and environmental barriers that hinder their participation in their communities.”

Down Syndrome is caused by extra genetic material in chromosome 21. It affects mental and physical development and can also lead to conditions including heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease and leukaemia.

Its patients can also be afflicted with other conditions, including heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease and leukaemia.

In the remarks, Mr. Ban noted that discrimination can be as invidious as forced sterilization, and as subtle as segregation and isolation through both physical and social barriers; and, that persons with Down Syndrome are often denied the right to equal recognition before the law, as well as the right to vote or be elected.

“Intellectual impairments have also been seen as legitimate grounds for depriving persons with Down Syndrome of their liberty, and for holding them in specialized institutions, sometimes for their entire lives,” Mr. Ban said.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the estimated incidence of Down Syndrome is between 1 in 1,000 to 1 in 1,100 live births worldwide; and, each year approximately 3,000 to 5,000 children are born with this chromosome disorder.

The Secretary-General said that the prejudice that children with Down Syndrome obstruct the education of others has led some parents of children with intellectual disabilities to put their children in special schools or keep them at home.

“Yet research shows – and more people are coming to understand – that diversity in the classroom leads to learning and understanding that benefit all children,” Mr. Ban said.

He pointed out that the United Nations has for decades worked to ensure the well-being and human rights of all people, and that those efforts have been strengthened by the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2006.

That Convention “embodies a paradigm shift in which persons with disabilities are no longer regarded as objects of charity and welfare, but as persons with equal rights and dignity who can make an enormous contribution to society in their own right.”

“Let us each do our part to enable children and persons with Down Syndrome to participate fully in the development and life of their societies on an equal basis with others. Let us build an inclusive society for all,” said Mr. Ban in the remarks.

He also praised the global partnership of governments, activists, families, professionals and others who worked to bring the Day into existence.

Speaking on her own behalf at the event at UN Headquarters, Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro called for concerted action to ensure that children and adults with Down Syndrome participate fully in the development of their societies on equal terms with other people.

A Worsening Humanitarian Situation

Crisis in Horn of Africa

Somalia is at the heart of one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world today. Twenty years of conflict and waves of drought have uprooted a quarter of the country's 7.5 million people. As the region faces its most severe drought in 60 years, the Somali exodus is growing fast. In the first half of 2011 alone, more than 83,000 Somalis fled into Kenya and over 54,000 into Ethiopia. In July, daily arrivals in each country ranged from 1,300 to 1,700. An additional 2,600 Somalis had crossed the north-western border into Djibouti by mid-2011. The refugees say they fled a combination of violence and drought in Somalia. Many are waiting until the last possible moment to flee, putting up with violence, crop failures and rising food prices until they can no longer survive where they were. Insecurity prevents aid from reaching them, forcing people to leave their sick and elderly behind and flee their homes to get help. Many walk for weeks to reach aid in neighbouring countries. Some do not survive the harsh journey; the weakest children die along the way as their mothers watch helplessly. Those refugees who make it to Kenya or Ethiopia's camps arrive exhausted, dehydrated and severely malnourished. Child deaths are alarmingly high. The refugees urgently need medical aid and high-protein, high-energy food. They also need clean water, shelter and basic services in the camps. The UN refugee agency is seeking US$144,954,431 in funds for emergency relief in the host countries of Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya, which are themselves hard hit by the drought. UNHCR has also urged for improved access in Somalia itself so that affected people can receive aid without having to flee their homes.

Source:http://www.unhcr.org/pages/4e1ff4b06.html