Every year December 3 is observed as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons on December 3 was proclaimed in 1992, by the United Nations General Assembly resolution 47/3. The observance of the Day aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. It also seeks to increase awareness of gains to be derived from the integration of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life. Theme for 2025 - Fostering disability inclusive societies for advancing social progress The theme of the 2025 International Day of Persons with Disabilities is: "Fostering disability inclusive societies for advancing social progress". Across all regions, persons with disabilities and their households face challenges and barriers in the attainment of social development objectives: They are more likely to live in poverty; They continue to face discrimination in employment, receiving lower wages and being overrepresented in the informal sector; Social protection systems are uneven in coverage and inadequate when considering extra disability-related costs, frequently excluding persons with disabilities in the informal sector; and, Many persons with disabilities’ experiences within care and support systems continue to be marked by the denial of their dignity, autonomy and agency. Building on many decades of UN’s work in the field of disability, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, adopted in 2006, has further advanced the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other international development frameworks, such as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Charter on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action, the New Urban Agenda, and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development. Did you know? An estimated 1.3 billion people experience significant disability. This represents 16% of the world’s population, or 1 in 6 of us. Some persons with disabilities die up to 20 years earlier than those without disabilities. Persons with disabilities have twice the risk of developing conditions such as depression, asthma, diabetes, stroke, obesity or poor oral health. Health inequities arise from unfair conditions faced by persons with disabilities, including stigma, discrimination, poverty, exclusion from education and employment, and barriers faced in the health system itself. What disability means A disability is a condition or function judged to be significantly impaired relative to the usual standard of an individual of their group. The term is often used to refer to individual functioning, including physical impairment, sensory impairment, cognitive impairment, intellectual impairment, mental illness, and various types of chronic disease. This usage has been described by some disabled people as being associated with a medical model of disability. Persons with disabilities, “the world’s largest minority”, have generally poorer health, lower education achievements, fewer economic opportunities and higher rates of poverty than people without disabilities. This is largely due to the lack of services available to them (like information and communications technology (ICT), justice or transportation) and the many obstacles they face in their everyday lives. These obstacles can take a variety of forms, including those relating to the physical environment, or those resulting from legislation or policy, or from societal attitudes or discrimination. Source : United Nations India celebrations On the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities i.e. 3rd December, the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment confers National Awards on Individuals, Institutions, Organizations, State/District etc for their outstanding achievements and work done towards empowerment of Persons with Disabilities every year. To view the year-wise list of awardees, click here. Related resources Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Disability