EBU Resolutions 1993

This page contains the 11 resolutions adopted at the EBU 4th General Assembly (7-9 October, Ustron, Poland) :

Resolution EBU 93-1

Cooperation with developing countries

Many EBU members cooperate with sister organizations in developing countries. The gap between rich and poor countries must be narrowed. To achieve this, the 4th General Assembly meeting in Ustron, Poland, 7-9 October 1993, advises its members to call upon national governments to devote one per cent of the Gross National Product to programmes in developing countries. Because ten per cent of the world population has significant disabilities, a similar proportiion of these resources should go towards providing education, rehabilitation and vocational training for disabled people. There must be particular emphasis on improving conditions and status of women and children. The results of this campaign should be reported to the 5th General Assembly, 1996.

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Resolution EBU 93-2

Social Rights

This 4th General Assembly of the European Blind Union, meeting in Ustron, Poland, 7-9 October 1993, calls upon all European governments to recognize the basic social rights of blind and visually impaired citizens and to ensure that they enjoy full and equal opportunities. Blind and partially sighted people are entitled to comprehensive financial support in order to meet the extra costs stemming from their disability.

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Resolution EBU 93-3

Recreation and Leisure

This 4th General Assembly of the European Blind Union, meeting in Ustron, Poland, 7-9 October 1993, is of the opinion that, for blind and partially sighted people to lead full and rewarding lives, staisfactory provision must be made for recreational and leisure activities.

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Resolution EBU 93-4

Youth Work

Whereas youth work is an important investment for the future, it is of great concern that so few younger members are participating in the activities of our organizations of the blind and partially sighted.

Today, very few of the EBU member organizations have well-functioning youth work, tending instead to liimit the activities for young visually impaired people to leisure and sport events arranged by different institutions. Although these activities are valuable, there is a need for more.

Young visually impaired people must be given the chance to meet and work together to discuss issues concerning their everyday life and their future.

It is important that the national organizations also consider the needs of young people in their regular work, and that young people too shall have the opportunity to attend different kinds of leadership training and to participate in the policy-making work of the organizations, both at the national and international levels.

Therefore, this 4th General Assembly of the European Blind Union, meeting in Ustron, Poland, 7-9 October 1993, resolves that all EBU member countries recognise the need for action to achieve these objectives and pledge themselves to take all steps to ensure that significant progress is made by the next General Assembly. They adopt and endorse the UN Declaration on Children's rights.

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Resolution EBU 93-5

Participation of Women

This 4th General Assembly of the European Blind Union, meeting in Ustron, Poland, 7-9 October 1993, being mindful of the importance of implementing the resolution of the 3rd General Assembly "to ensure that women are equally represented on the Board and other decision-making bodies of EBU", calls upon all member organizations to take up their responsibility to nominate an ever-increasing number of women to their national delegations, to Commissions and to the Board of the EBU, as from this General Assembly, in the interest of democracy and to ensure that the expertise of women is fully represented.

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Resolution EBU 93-6

Political and economic changes

The political changes in Europe have had an especially devastating effect on blind and visually impaired people. Many of them have lost their jobs and are thus segregated from society. This 4th General Assembly of the European Blind Union, meeting in Ustron, Poland, 7-9 October 1993, urges all governments and organizations involved to do their utmost so that blind and visually impaired people can resume their rightful place in society.

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Resolution EBU 93-7

Partial Sight

This 4th General Assembly, meeting in Ustron, Poland, 7-9 October 1993, strongly rejects the proposal from some countries for a yellow cane to be used as a specific symbol for partially sighted people. The Assembly is of the opinion that in traffic one and the same symbol for visual impairment should be used by all people with a visual handicap.

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Resolution EBU 93-8

Inter-organizational cooperation

This 4th General Assembly, meeting in Ustron, Poland, 7-9 October 1993, reaffirms the commitment of the EBU to cooperate with other organizations providing services and support for blind and visually impaired people in Europe, such as the International Council for the Education of the Visually Handicapped (ICEVH).

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Resolution EBU 93-9

First European Day of Disabled People, 3/4 December 1993

  1. WHEREAS the World Blind Union, of which EBU is a constituent member, at its General Assembly in Cairo 2-6 November 1992, resolved to request the United Nations to recognise and declare that each year 15 October be known as United Nations White Cane Day ; and

  2. WHEREAS this General Assembly wholeheartedly endorses and supports that resolution ; and

  3. WHEREAS this General Assembly reaffirms that blind and partially-sighted persons have interests and aspirations separate and distinct from those of other disable people and that no other organization in Europe has the right to represent those interests and aspirations ; and

  4. WHEREAS this General Assembly takes note of the proposals for the first European Day of Disabled People on 3 December 1993 put forward by organizations representing other physically disabled people, and is willing to express solidarity with those organizations by cooperating in campaigns to achieve common objectives ;
This Fourth General Assembly of the European Blind Union, meeting in Ustron, Poland, 7-9 October 1993,

RESOLVES : -
  1. That all member organizations be advised to seek the support of their governments for the implementation of the resolution referred to above and in the meantime to recognise 15 October each year as White Cane Day ;

  2. That all member organizations be advised to take part in the celebrations of 3 December 1993 on the clear understanding that other participating organizations recognise that organizations of blind and partially sighted people are the only organizations which have the right to represent and speak for the interests and aspirations of blind and partially sighted people.


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Resolution EBU 93-10

Exchange of Information

This 4th General Assembly, meeting in Ustron, Poland, 7-9 October 1993, urges all organizations of and for the blind to make a special effort to exchange information between member countries so that blind people can be kept informed of developments concerning every sphere of activities. This could include exchange of materials as well as meetings of journalists and presenters of the media for the blind and partially sighted.

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Resolution EBU 93-11

Distressed Regions of Europe

WHEREAS the on-going war in the former Yugoslavia has considerably worsened the plight of the blind and partially sighted in that region, this 4th General Assembly, meeting in Ustron, Poland, 7-9 October 1993, encourages all EBU member countries to prevail upon their highest national and international forums to hasten all forms of humanitarian aid to that region in a spirit of genuine concern and solidarity.

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