High up in the Andes, Quito provided the dramatic venue for the 128th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, or IPU, that brought together law makers and elected officials from around the world. UNICEF and the government of Ecuador used this opportunity to bring attention to the rights of children with disabilities. UNICEF
Eighty percent of people with disabilities in the world live in developing countries like Haiti and most do not have access to any medical care or schooling. UNICEF
Members of the AMISOM Police contingent working in Somalia have donated food items and clothing to members of the blind community living in Mogadishu, as part of a gesture to support those with disability. AU/UN IST
Angola, one of the last countries where polio was endemic, has been free of the crippling disease for one year now. But a group of experts has warned that the country's capital Luanda, with its sprawling informal settlements, inadequate infrastructure and poor sanitation, is a "natural home for polio". UNICEF
A team of landmine victims wheeled across a pitch playing basketball amid the cheer of students at a primary school in South Sudan’s capital Juba, at a match to raise awareness on the issue in their young country. UNMISS
A UN Human Rights panel on participation of persons with disabilities in political life today heard a call to ensure that the rights of political participation of people with disabilities requires legal reform but also a shift in the thinking about people with disabilities as equal citizens who can make their own decisions. OHCHR
Korean peacekeepers build a hospital in Leogane, one of the worst hit areas in the earthquake. Tens of thousands were killed and over 90 percent of the buildings were heavily damaged. MINUSTAH
UNHCR and the government of South Sudan are running a transitional shelter program for returnees. In the last fourteen months, more than 360,000 men, women and children have come home from the north. UNHCR
This week Montenegro’s Prime Minister Igor Luksic and UNICEF Representative Benjamin Perks unveiled the impact of a groundbreaking campaign “It’s about ability” promoting inclusion of children with disabilities into society. UNICEF
The Pascale Toussaint rehabilitation centre opened in northern Haiti to provide physical rehabilitation for paraplegic patients, many from the 2010 earthquake. Leon Gensly a disabled athlete who lost the use of his legs during the quake is now competing to qualify for London 2012 Paralympics. Saturday (3 Dec) is International Day of Persons with Disabilities. [...]