International Day of Disabled Persons

Toronto (ots/PRNewswire) -

"Governments need to recognize the rights and needs of people with
disabilities," says Prof. Allen Foster, President of CBM on the
International Day of Disabled Persons.

Millennium Development Goals set out by the United Nations will
not be achieved without the inclusion of the disabled in development
programming states Foster.

CBM is a leading advocate for the human rights of people with
disabilities. More than 600 million people in the world live with
some form of disability. Eighty per cent live in developing countries
and have difficulty accessing rehabilitation and health services. 82%
live below the poverty line.

"It is not the impairment or disability which creates dependency
and poverty in people with disabilities, but their exclusion from
mainstream social, economic and political opportunities," says
Foster.

Can you imagine having a disability, being the poorest of the
poor? It's a terribly vicious cycle. Because the poor have
disabilities, they cannot get a proper education or make an adequate
living which leads to poverty and poverty continues the cycle of
disabilities.

Rehabilitation enables people with disabilities to reach and
maintain optimal physical, sensory, intellectual and functional
potential. It provides them with tools needed to attain higher levels
of independence. But until governments become more aware of the needs
of people with disabilities and make a commitment to achieving the
MDGs, the cycle of poverty continues. 2007 marks the halfway point to
achieving the MDGs, but at this rate many goals will not be met.

"CBM is the world's leading disability organization but we can't
do it alone," says Foster. "We need governments, media and other
NGOs. Together we can do more in making a difference for the
forgotten people in the world - children, parents and families
forgotten by their communities, their countries and too often
forgotten by the rest of the world."

CBM currently supports 1,016 disability focused projects in 113
countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe, and
currently reaches 18 million people trapped in poverty by disability.

ots Originaltext: CBMI Canada
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

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For further information: interviews please contact: Lindsay O'Connor
International Media Manager, lindsay.oconnor(at)cbm.org,
+49-(0)6251-131 392,+1-647-202-3445