December 3 is International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

The United Nations adopted a resolution on the “World action plan related to disabled persons” at the 37th session of the UN General Assembly on December 3 1982, declared ten years between 1983 and 1992 as the “decade of the UN for disabled persons” and called on every region and country to strive to settle the issue of disabled persons.

It designated December 3 every year as International Day of Persons with Disabilities at the 47th session of the UNGA which was convened in October 1992 and called for further intensifying the activities for the disabled. The designation is aimed at raising public awareness of the issue of them, defending their rights and encouraging them to take an active part in all domains of social life including politics, the economy and culture.

Many countries over the world have organized a variety of events including festival and national seminar to mark the day since the institution of the day, but the majority of the disabled over the world still live being subjected to inequality and deprived of rights.

A large number of people are under threat as they are crippled owing to armed conflicts. A typical example is the Middle East situation where many peaceful residents of Palestine lose their lives or become disabled due to bloody armed conflicts.

All the disabled persons in the DPRK lead a happy life while enjoying all rights without any discrimination thanks to the politics of prioritizing, respecting and loving the people.

The DPRK has commemorated International Day of Persons with Disabilities since December 3 2009. On the occasion of the day, it organizes and holds a variety of events including commemorative meeting and artistic performance by the disabled.

In the country measures to protect the disabled began to be taken just after Korea’s liberation from Japanese military rule on August 15 1945.

The Labour Law for the Workers and Office Employees in North Korea, which was adopted in June 1946, stipulated the issue of providing living conditions for those who have become disabled by labour accidents or occupational diseases, and the Law of the DPRK on the Protection of the Disabled was adopted in June 2003.

The Ninth Session of the 14th Supreme People’s Assembly of the DPRK held in September this year adopted the Law of the DPRK on Ensuring the Rights of the Disabled to touch the heartstrings of all people.

Persons with disabilities in the country enjoy a happy life thanks to the benefits of the socialist system.

They enjoy a fulfilling life free from worries under the people-centred socialist system where the protection of the disabled is an important policy of the Workers’ Party of Korea and the state.

The DPRK boosts exchanges and cooperation with other countries and international organizations in the field of protecting the disabled. It signed the UN convention on the rights of the disabled on July 3 2013 and ratified it on November 23 2016.

On the basis of the convention, it promotes the rights and convenience of disabled persons and further strengthens international cooperation.