1981 United Nations (UN) International Year of Disability

1982 World Program of Action for disabled persons adopted by UN to achieve full participation and equality of persons with disabilities

1983-1992 UN Decade for Disabled Persons declared to draw attention to the ongoing problems and discrimination faced by disabled people.

1992 3 December declared by the UN as the annual International Day for Disabilities to raise awareness of disability issues and to mobilize support for persons with disabilities.

1993 Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Disabled Persons adopted by the UN General Assembly.

1993-2002 UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) declared a Decade of Disability and developed an Agenda for Action to draw focus to the UN World Program of Action, as the situation of people with disabilities in the Asian region had not changed significantly during the UN Decade of Disabled Persons.

2001 Mexican Government proposed UN Resolution 56/168, calling for a convention on the human rights of persons with disabilities to protect and promote the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities

2003- 2012 The second ESCAP Decade for Disability declared and the Biwako Millennium Framework for Action adopted to give further impetus to the implementation of the World Program of Action concerning Disabled Persons and the Agenda for Action for the ESCAP region.

2006 UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities adopted by the UN General Assembly.

2007 UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities opened for signature and ratification on March 30