UNSG Ban Ki-Moon urged to support World Autism Strategy

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UNSG Ban Ki-Moon urged to support World Autism Strategy

Posted on March 15th, 2008

by autismnews in All News, Blogosphere News, Breaking News, Country

News, Education News, Government News, Medical News, North American

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(London, UK) The first ever World Autism Awareness Day has been

declared by the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The

idea was promoted by the State of Qatar who worked hard to make

World Autism Day a reality - this historic day will take place on

Wednesday 2nd April 2008.

Autism campaigners around the globe have welcomed the United Nations

World Autism Awareness Day as it is an ideal opportunity to lobby

world leaders on providing public services in education, health,

specialist speech therapy and respite care for all people with

autism and Asperger & #8217;s Syndrome, it also provides a platform for

people to raise funds for autism organisations and parents groups in

every country and to organise awareness raising events.

In the United Kingdom campaigners are calling on Britain & #8217;s Prime

Minister Gordon Brown to make a statement on autism on World Autism

Awareness Day. Mr. Brown is being urged to support a national

strategy on autism in the United Kingdom and a 10 year plan on

autism and Asperger & #8217;s Syndrome.

Ivan Corea, Head of the Autism Awareness Campaign UK said: & #8216;I

congratulate the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, the

United Nations General Assembly and the state of Qatar for

spearheading this - this is history in the making, World Autism Day

will focus attention onto the needs of 60 million people with autism

around the world - I appeal to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and

United Nations agencies such as UNICEF and the UNDP to reach out to

so many families with autism below the poverty line in the Third

World, children with autism and Asperger & #8217;s Syndrome are struggling

without the basic human right to an education, to health, specialist

speech therapy and respire care. I call upon the UN

Secretary-General to organise a UN Conference on Autism in 2009 and

connect with world leaders on the subject of Autism and Public

Services. The Autism Awareness Campaign UK is urging the United

Nations to launch a World Autism Strategy. People with autism and

Asperger & #8217;s Syndrome around the world desperately need help. Due to

reasons of culture some children with autism are kept at home,

sometimes autism is also confused with mental illness - every child

with autism and Asperger & #8217;s Syndrome deserves a world class

education - some are not receiving an education at all. & #8217;

On the 2nd of April the United Nations will mark World Autism

Awareness Day in the General Assembly, a United Nations report is

scheduled to be released after the event.