UN adopts resolution on challenges facing people living with rare disease

NEW YORK, Nov 11 (KUNA) -- The Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly adopted on Tuesday a draft resolution, proposed by Kuwait, Qatar, Brazil and Spain, on addressing the specific challenges facing persons living with a rare disease and their families.
Speaking to the committee, the Permanent Representative of Kuwait to the United Nations, Ambassador Tareq Al-Bannai hailed the UN adoption of the draft resolution.
This move reflects a firm conviction that the rarity of a disease should not determine a person's destiny or opportunities in life, he stressed.
Al-Bannai unveiled that the new resolution declares clearer commitments to inclusion and equity and support to families and individuals living with rare diseases around the world.
More than 300 million people worldwide suffer from rare diseases, and many of them suffer for long years before being accurately diagnosed or receiving appropriate health services, he regretted.
The Permanent Representative of the State of Kuwait stated that the adopted resolution calls for strengthening national health systems, expanding universal health coverage, improving access to early diagnosis, inclusive education, and decent work, as well as supporting research and innovation in the field of rare diseases.
He welcomed the World Health Organization's recent decision to prepare a 10-year global action plan for rare diseases, considering it an important step towards coordinating international efforts in this domain.
Al-Bannai called on the international community to move from recognition of the challenges facing people with a rare health condition to commitment to backing them. (end) ast.ibi