Adoption of the Resolution on PLWRD and their families by the UN Third Committee
The UN Third Committee has adopted the Resolution on persons living with a rare disease and their families by consensus on 15 November 2021, with 54 countries co-sponsoring. The resolution aims at addressing the challenges of persons living with a rare disease and their families and was introduced in the agenda by the counsellors from the Permanent Mission of Spain, also on behalf of Brazil and Qatar. The Resolution will be considered by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) for official adoption during its 76th session in December. The representative of Spain stressed that this resolution would support the needs of 300 million people living with rare diseases.
If passed into an UNGA resolution, the Resolution could help the inclusion and participation in society of people living with rare diseases and their families as the UN Assembly would have the possibility of urging Member States to implement national strategies and measures to address the challenges faced by rare disease patients and their families. One key ask of this resolution is to improve their health and social outcomes with the appropriate care and support within existing resources. The resolution thus provides a basis for further integration of rare diseases in the agenda, actions and priorities of the UN. The UN Secretariat would indeed provide regular reports to monitor progress on implementation of Member States.
Rare Diseases International has launched an international campaign calling for the adoption of the Resolution by the UNGA recalling that addressing the unmet need of the rare disease community would mark a significant step towards the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the commitment of leaving no one behind. It is calling for all UN Member States to co-sponsor the text in recognition and support of the rare disease community.
