Ecuador's President Receives International Roosevelt Award at UN Headquarters
President Gustavo Noboa of the Republic of Ecuador received the sixth annual Franklin Delano Roosevelt International Disability Award on behalf of his country at a United Nations ceremony in September. The Award is sponsored by the World Committee on Disability and the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute. It is presented annually to a nation that makes noteworthy national progress toward the goal of the United Nations World Programme of Action Concerning Disabled Persons: the full and equal participation of the world's 600 million people with disabilities in the life of their societies.
The Award consists of a bust of President Roosevelt and a $50,000 cash prize for a non-governmental disability organization in the honored nation. This year, the cash prize is being awarded to the Foundation for the Psycho-Pedagogic Assistance for Children, Adolescents and Adults with Mental Retardation (FASINARM) in Ecuador. Previous winners of the Award are Thailand, Hungary, Ireland, Canada, and South Korea. The UN ceremony recognized Ecuador for placing equal opportunities for people with disabilities at the forefront of its national agenda. The Constitution of Ecuador was revised in 1994 to include guarantees of access for people with disabilities to healthcare, education, training and work.
UN Secretary General Praises Ecuador
"I am delighted to congratulate the people and Government of Ecuador on receiving the Franklin Delano Roosevelt International Disability Award for 2002. It is richly deserved," said UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. "The enjoyment by all people of all human rights, including the full participation of persons with disabilities in society and development, goes to the heart of the work of the United Nations."
In response, President Noboa said: "Every nation has the responsibility to ensure the enjoyment of human rights by all individuals, and in particular by the most vulnerable - those with disabilities. Every State must provide all the necessary conditions for an inclusive society to become a reality, with equal opportunities for everyone. A deep change of attitudes throughout society is also crucial to eliminating all discrimination."
FDR's Greatness
President Roosevelt, for whom the award is named, never took a step unassisted after he contracted polio at age 39. Nevertheless he was elected President of the United States four times, led the U.S. through the Great Depression and World War II, and was a founder of the United Nations - all while using a wheelchair.
Reflecting on her grandfather's experience with polio, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, Co-Chair of the Roosevelt Institute, stated, "The experience of polio and learning to live with constant pain and disability gave FDR much of the strength, courage, and determination that made him the great President and world leader he was. FDR was not great despite his disability, he was great because of his disability."
Chrisopher Reeve Calls for UN Disability Rights Convention
"This is a time of great hope and promise for the hundreds of millions of people with disabilities worldwide," said National Organization on Disability Vice Chairman Christopher Reeve. "When governments make it a priority to ensure equal opportunities for their citizens with disabilities, they maximize people's potential. People with disabilities want to make the most of their abilities, and this year's FDR Award winner, Ecuador, is to be commended for its dedication to making it possible for them to do so." Reeve also seconded Reich's call for the U.N. to adopt a convention on the rights of people with disabilities. "That convention would create a binding agreement to bring hope worldwide to the 600 million people with disabilities... I hope that the convention will be adopted."
The World Committee on Disability is the international arm of the National Organization on Disability. The Committee's mission is to promote the full and equal participation and contribution of people with disabilities in all aspects of life as called for by the United Nations World Programme of Action Concerning Disabled People. Further information about the World Committee on Disability, and the FDR Award presentation, is posted at www.worldcommitteeondisability.org.
The Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute (http://www.feri.org) is a non-profit organization headquartered at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library in Hyde Park, New York. Its mission is to inform new generations of the ideals and achievements of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, and to inspire the application of their spirit of optimism and innovation to the solution of current problems.
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