Bangladesh Resolution on Autism and Developmental Disorders was adopted with consensus at the UN General Assembly exactly at 12:12 noon on 12-12-12

USANEWSONLINE : Today Bangladesh was successful to get its Autism Resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly by consensus.  A total of 71 countries co-sponsored the resolution. Major countries, for example, Russian Federation, China, India, Brazil, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, et al co-sponsored it.  Countries like USA, European Union (EU) that did not co-sponsor the resolution spoke at the debate supporting the resolution. Saudi Arabian Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Abdallah Al-Mouallimi that co-sponsored the resolution applauded the Bangladesh leadership. Bangladesh Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN, Dr. Abdul Momen stated that nearly 1% or 70 million people have been suffering from autism now, its growth rate is 57 per cent for 2002-07 and it costs the global community around $137 billion and such cost if increasing increasingly.  Currently 1 in 88 children are being affected by Autism in USA and such rate is higher in South Korea.  Boys are 4 times more likely to have autism.

Mentioning the names of Mozart, Beethoven, Albert Einstein, Bob Dylan, Bill Gates, Steven Hawkins, Stevie Wonder, he said, “all of these icons and many more were in their childhood neglected and dubbed as the prodigal children of the parents because they had Autism/Asperger’s spectrum or Disability. However, all of them have achieved great success in later life. Their minds worked differently than a traditional learner, and as they were able to find their niche in the world, they could engage their strengths and they actually enrich us and the world at large. we have a whole population whose talents go undiscovered and whose gifts go unshared and therefore, we need this resolution.

He said, “we do not know the cure of Autism, what we do know is that every 15 minutes a person is diagnosed with autism; that every year, more children are diagnosed with autism spectrum condition than they are with AIDS, diabetes and cancer combined”. He stated, “our efforts to address the needs of individuals and families with autism in Bangladesh over the past 2/3 years have made us realize that in order to fully meet the needs of those with neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism, our approach has to be multi-faceted, comprehensive and integrated with other community based  programs. In order for our solutions to be effective and sustainable, treatment needs to be evidence-based, culturally sensitive and economically feasible”. He emphasized collaborative partnership and stated that Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has initiated many programs and is fully committed to achieve goals.

Dr. Momen appealed the member states to co-sponsor or support the resolution for the good of mankind especially for the cause of children with Autism Spectrum Syndrome (ASD) and Developmental Disabilities (DD).

As there was no objection, the President of the General Assembly declared the resolution adopted with consensus exactly at 12:12 PM on 12-12-12.

This resolution will help UN agencies and organizations and member states to collect disintegrated data on ASD and DD. It will help develop strategy for early detection and provide skills development and necessary training. It will help assist rehabilitation and treatment of autistic children and end discrimination to them. This resolution urges the Development Partners to fund programs and projects through UN agencies and this resolution will be a key to the upcoming High-level UN meeting on Disabilities in 2013 and in the process, will enhance the leadership role of Bangladesh in the global community.

In the evening, a reception was organized jointly by Bangladesh Mission and the Autism Speaks, a US-based NGO dedicated to autism at the Bangladesh Permanent Mission to celebrate the adoption of the resolution. Madam Natasha Jeremic, wife of President of the General Assembly and Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury, Bangladesh State Minister of Women’s and Children Affairs were the guests of honor at the event. All speakers highlighted the commitment and spirit of Chairperson of Bangladesh National Advisory Committee on Autism Ms Saima Wazed Hossain and co-founders of Autism Speaks, Bob and Suzanne Wrights. It may be mentioned that Ms. Saima Wazed Hossain started crying on hearing the good news of adoption of the resolution. The event was attended by many Ambassadors and Permanent Representatives and other senior diplomats plus Bangladesh Diaspora living in New York and New Jersey.