International Day of Persons with Disabilities, December 3, 2011 around the world will be commemorated under the theme:

"Together for a better world for all: Including people with disabilities in development"

According to new estimates from the World Health Organization, people with disabilities make up about 151% of the world's population. Almost one-fifth of the estimated total population lives with a disability, or faces significant difficulties due to a disability. Furthermore, a quarter of the global population is directly affected by disability, either as caregivers or family members.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, a series of changes have been made in the last few years that define society's attitude towards people with disabilities at the political and strategic level.

But, despite the progress made in relation to people with disabilities, they still face many disadvantages in society:

- they are often subjected to stigma or discrimination,

– remain largely marginalized,

– they are disproportionately poorer,

- they are mostly unemployed,

– have a higher mortality rate,

They are largely excluded from civic and political processes, and in matters that concern them and their society, people with disabilities are overwhelmingly disenfranchised.

The reform processes planned to be implemented in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the coming period envisage new restrictions or the complete abolition of currently available forms of support that equalize the opportunities of persons with disabilities with those of other citizens.

Introducing restrictions/census on the income that persons with disabilities receive due to the need for assistance from another person would be discriminatory and would exclude the largest number of beneficiaries of this type of support from community activities and prevent them from exercising their basic human rights.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which Bosnia and Herzegovina ratified and thus became a legally binding document, establishes the obligation of the state to develop support measures that must not create additional costs or restrictions for a person with a disability or their family, which are caused by the disability.

Experience shows that when people with disabilities are empowered to participate and lead development processes, the entire community benefits, and their involvement creates opportunities for everyone - whether a person with or without a disability.

Therefore, it is imperative that disability issues are included in the development processes in our country, when determining policies, programs, and when allocating funds for development programs and projects. Integrating disability into the development process is a strategy for achieving equality for persons with disabilities.

"Good for people with disabilities, better for the whole community"

Based on the main theme of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities:

"Together for a better world for all: Including people with disabilities in development"

The proposed sub-topics are:

1. Disability in the mainstream: inclusion of disability in all development processes;
2. Gender: inclusion of women and girls with disabilities in development;
3. Inclusion of children and youth with disabilities in development;
4. Accessibility: removing barriers and promoting disability-inclusive development;
5. Promotion of data collection and statistics on disability.

The full implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which is both a human rights treaty and a development tool, the Unified Disability Policy and the Strategy for the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, provides an opportunity to strengthen development policies related to the implementation of internationally agreed development goals such as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), thereby contributing to the achievement of a "society for all" in the twenty-first century in which persons with disabilities will be equal citizens.