Ban praises people with disabilities

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- People with disabilities play a key role in a country's development, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday.

In a speech marking the International Day of Persons with Disabilities -- the majority of whom live in poor countries -- Ban noted the U.N. General Assembly emphasized the need to include people with disabilities to achieve Millennium Development Goals -- eight anti-poverty targets -- by their 2015 deadline, the United Nations said in a news release.

"With 80 percent of persons with disabilities -- more than 400 million people -- living in poor countries, we need to do much more to break the cycle of poverty and disability," Ban said.

Ban called on governments and others interested parties to guarantee that people with disabilities are an integral part of all development processes.

"In this way, we can promote integration and pave the way for a better future for all people in society," he said.