Materials :
Basic Documents :
Socially Vulnerable Groups: Selected Issues:
Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities
UNITED NATIONS ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL
GENERAL
E/ESCAP/CESI/2
30 June 2003
ORIGINAL: ENGLISH
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
Committee on Emerging Social Issues
First session
4-6 September 2003
Bangkok
(Item 4 (b) of the provisional agenda)
Note by the secretariat
SUMMARY
On 22 May 2002, the Commission adopted resolution 58/4 on promoting an
inclusive, barrier-free and rights-based society for people with
disabilities in the Asian and Pacific region in the twenty-first century, in
which it proclaimed the extension of the Asian and Pacific Decade of
Disabled Persons, 1993-2002, for another decade, 2003-2012. In October 2002,
Governments adopted the Biwako Millennium Framework for Action towards an
Inclusive, Barrier-free and Rights-based Society for Persons with
Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific (BMF) as the regional policy guideline
for the new Decade. As at 2003, 43 members and associate members of ESCAP
have signed the Proclamation on the Full Participation and Equality of
People with Disabilities in the Asian and Pacific Region. The new Decade
(2003-2012) must ensure a paradigm shift from a charity-based approach to a
rights-based approach to protect the civil, cultural, economic, political
and social rights of persons with disabilities.
This paper summarizes the current status of persons with disabilities in
the ESCAP region at the inception of the new Decade, the seven priority
areas for action under BMF and its targets, strategies, time frames and
supporting/monitoring mechanisms as well as immediate ECCAP follow-up
activities.
Despite recent achievements, persons with disabilities remain the
single-largest sector of those least served and most discriminated against
in almost all societies in the region. Persons with disabilities have been
prevented from accessing entitlements available to other members of society,
in the areas of health services, education, employment, community
participation and other basic social and political rights and services.
Failure to access these services, and to have their voices heard, has
resulted in economic and social exclusion for persons with disabilities and
their associates, prejudice, rejection and, ultimately, lives in poverty.
There are a number of key areas that require ongoing critical action if
the region is to satisfactorily achieve the inclusion of people with
disabilities in society and in all mainstream development programmes in
order to reach the goal of full participation of people with disabilities.
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
I. OVERVIEW OF THE CURRENT SITUATION
II. SPECIFIC TARGETS
- Self-help organizations of persons with disabilities and related
family and parents’ associations
- Women with disabilities
- Early detection, early intervention and education
- Access to built environments and public transport
- Training and employment, including self-employment
- Access to information and communications, including information,
communication and assistive technologies
- Poverty alleviation through capacity-building, social security and
sustainable livelihood programmes
- Disability statistics and research
- Rights-based legislation
III. ESCAP ACTIVITIES DURING 2003
- An international convention to protect and promote the rights and
dignity of persons with disabilities
- Access to information and ICT
- Women and disability
- Access to built environments
- Poverty and disability
- Regional networking
- Disability statistics
IV. FUTURE CHALLENGES
1. On 22 May 2002, the
Commission adopted resolution 58/4 on promoting an inclusive, barrier-free
and rights-based society for people with disabilities in the Asian and
Pacific region in the twenty-first century, in which it proclaimed the
extension of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002,
for another decade, 2003-2012.
2. In October 2002, the
High-level Intergovernmental Meeting to Conclude the Asian and Pacific
Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002, adopted the Biwako Millennium
Framework for Action towards an Inclusive, Barrier-free and Rights-based
Society for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific (BMF) as the
regional policy guideline for the new Decade.
3. The Biwako Millennium
Framework outlines issues, action plans and strategies towards an inclusive,
barrier-free and rights-based society for persons with disabilities.
4. To achieve the goals,
the Framework identified seven priority areas for action, in each of which
critical issues and targets with specific time frames and actions follow. In
all, 21 targets and 17 strategies supporting the achievement of the targets
were identified.
5. As at 2003, 43 members
and associate members of ESCAP have signed the Proclamation on the Full
Participation and Equality of People with Disabilities in the Asian and
Pacific Region.
6. The new Decade
(2003-2012) must ensure a paradigm shift from a charity-based approach to a
rights-based approach to protect the civil, cultural, economic, political
and social rights of persons with disabilities. To pursue the targets and
strategies, consultations with and involvement of civil society, including
self-help organizations (SHOs) and concerned NGOs, are essential.
7. The following sections
of this paper summarize the current status of persons with disabilities in
the ESCAP region at the inception of the new Decade, the seven priority
areas for action under BMF and its targets, strategies, time frames and
supporting/monitoring mechanisms as well as immediate ESCAP follow-up
activities. The first Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons was
concluded in 2002. The theme and goal of the Decade was the promotion of the
full participation and equality of people with disabilities in the Asian and
Pacific region.
8. The paper also
summarizes the achievements of the last Decade, its shortcomings and
challenges, and priority areas for further action during the new Decade. The
focus of analysis is on progress at the national level, which may be used as
a baseline for monitoring future progress.
9. Information has been
derived mainly from a regional survey conducted by ESCAP for the
above-mentioned High-level Intergovernmental Meeting in 2002 and other
supplementary data provided by additional meeting reports and background
documents on related activities that took place in 2002 and 2003. The former
survey report is based on 37 returns of the ESCAP survey questionnaire,
including from four non-signatories of the Proclamation.
I. OVERVIEW OF THE CURRENT SITUATION
10. It is recognized that many
gains have been achieved in creating awareness about the situation of
persons with disabilities in the Asian and Pacific region and the need to
address the issues affecting their full participation and equality in the
development process. There has been progress at the national and
subregional levels, where a variety of measures for equalization are being
implemented. These include legislation, promotion of barrier-free
environments, community-based rehabilitation services, education and
training and employment. People with disabilities are increasingly
active in contributing to the planning and implementation of programmes
relating to such measures.
11. Despite these achievements,
it may be argued that persons with disabilities remain the single-largest
sector of those least served and most discriminated against in almost all
societies in the region.
12. Persons with disabilities
have been prevented from accessing entitlements available to other members
of society, in the areas of health services, education, employment,
community participation and other basic social and political rights and
services. Failure to access these services and to have their voices
heard has resulted in economic and social exclusion for persons with
disabilities and their associates, prejudice, rejection and, ultimately,
lives in poverty. The number of persons with disabilities continues to
increase with population growth and such other factors as war and other
forms of violence, traffic accidents, inadequate medical care and natural
and other disasters.
13. There are a number of key
areas that require ongoing critical action if the region is to
satisfactorily achieve the inclusion of people with disabilities in society
and in all mainstream development programmes in order to reach the goal of
full participation of people with disabilities. Not surprisingly, many
of the people with disabilities are poor; poverty and social exclusion are
closely linked.
14. The overwhelming majority
of people with disabilities in the ESCAP region live in remote rural areas
where the services needed to help them are unavailable. Additionally,
a major cause of poverty is the lack of productive employment.
15. People with disabilities
remain disproportionately unemployed and underemployed. Efforts have
been made in many parts of the ESCAP region to improve the labour force
participation rate but a major obstacle to gaining - and retaining -
employment is lack of access to education and training. People with
disabilities are confronted with social exclusion from their earliest years
because of existing social and physical barriers.
16. Generally, the educational
systems fail to offer any education to the majority of children with
disabilities. Among those who do have access to education, few receive
inclusive education in the mainstream school environment.
Additionally, an increasingly important issue in this area that still has to
be addressed is access by people with disabilities to new and emerging
information technologies through computer literacy.
17. Since lack of education is
one of the main factors leading to social exclusion and poverty, this
phenomenon will be followed by new emerging problems related to ICT
developments, globalization and poverty, including temporary poverty caused
by structural adjustments.
18. It is hoped that the
extension of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons for another 10
years will complete the achievement of the goal of full participation and
equality of people with disabilities.
II. SPECIFIC TARGETS
A. Self-help organizations of persons with disabilities and related
family and parents’ associations
19. Governments in the ESCAP
region are becoming increasingly supportive of SHOs and value the role which
they play in advising Governments on disability concerns. Twenty-four
countries out of 37 that responded to the ESCAP survey have formed national
cross-disability organizations of people with disabilities, or SHOs. Four
were in the process of forming such groups. The World Blind Union and
the World Federation of the Deaf have extensive networks of national
organizations.
20. Seventeen Governments have
reported that input by SHOs was fully integrated into national policy
development. Thirteen Governments provide funding assistance to
strengthen and support the development of SHOs. The Philippines has a
national forum of SHOs. In the Pacific island economies, the Oceania
Subregional Office of Disabled Peoples’ International (DPI) was formed in
2000 and provides support to many countries in the subregion. DPI Asia
and Pacific region has a membership of 22 national assemblies of people with
disabilities. These include six organizations from the Pacific island
economies.
21. Some SHOs have developed
without government support, as in Kiribati and Solomon Islands, but they
helped to improve public attitudes towards persons with disabilities.
Additionally, the lack of coordination of many disparate and often
single-disability groups has weakened the capacity of SHOs to advocate their
cause effectively. Coordination is clearly beneficial to people with
disabilities and Governments alike. A situation of equal partnership
and consultation between Governments and SHOs has not yet been achieved
within the region and progress towards it has been slow.
22. Often, SHOs have not yet
fully included marginalized persons with disabilities such as women and
girls with disabilities, persons with intellectual disabilities and persons
with psychiatric disabilities.
23. BMF affirms that persons
with disabilities and their SHOs are best equipped and best informed to
speak on their behalf and can contribute to solutions on issues that concern
them. Under BMF, two targets are set to make a difference:
(1) By 2004, Governments,
international funding agencies and NGOs should establish policies to
support and develop SHOs Governments should take steps to ensure the
formation of parents’ associations at the local level by the year 2005 and
federate them at the national level by year 2010;
(2) By 2005, Governments and
civil society organizations should fully include SHOs in decision-making
processes.
24. Actions for the targets
include the participation of persons with disabilities in policy-making,
political representations and capacity-building.
B. Women with disabilities
25. Some countries have
developed gender-inclusive disability policies while others facilitate
gender-sensitive data and the formation of networks of women with
disabilities. These initiatives need to continue and expand if women
with disabilities are to acquire the skills and confidence to advocate for
the inclusion of their particular issues within SHOs of persons with
disabilities, mainstream advocacy groups and the wider community.
26. Gender-inclusive disability
policies were reported by Japan, the Philippines and Sri Lanka.
Gender-sensitive data were reported by Pakistan. Bangladesh; Bhutan;
Fiji; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; and the Philippines reported the
formation of networks of women with disabilities. A regional network
of women with disabilities was formed at Hanoi during Campaign 2001.
In Fiji, the group of women with disabilities is a member of the Fiji
National Council of Women. The Fiji Disabled Peoples’ Association has
a task force on women. In the Philippines, a leadership training
manual for women with disabilities has been developed, and ongoing training
is carried out.
27. Given that women with
disabilities suffer doubly from being women and from being disabled, it is
clear that the concerns and development of women with disabilities should
form a central part of any future framework for action in the region.
28. In BMF, women with
disabilities are recognized as multiply disadvantaged through their status
as women and as persons with disabilities and their propensity to be living
in poverty. Three targets are set to solve these problems:
(1) By 2005, Governments
should ensure anti-discrimination measures, where appropriate, to protect
women with disabilities;
(2) By 2005, SHOs should
adopt policies to promote full representation of women with disabilities;
(3) By 2005, women with
disabilities should be included in the membership of national mainstream
women’s associations.
C. Early detection, early intervention and education
29. Twenty-five countries out
of 37 survey respondents have prevention strategies within overall health
programmes, while comprehensive disability prevention programmes were
implemented in Bangladesh, China and India, among others. In China,
nationwide prevention strategies target urban, rural and migrant
communities. National surveys of children at risk have been undertaken
and early identification and intervention services provide training and
support to families in 23 countries and areas, within urban and
community-based frameworks. Prevention programmes included safety in
the workplace and the prevention of traffic accidents and, in some cases,
injury due to landmines. In 2001 the Government of New Zealand
released a strategy on the health of older people with a view to supporting
positive ageing and prevention of disability.
30. Continued effort is needed
to further reduce the number of infants born with disabilities as a result
of maternal malnutrition, inadequate prenatal and post-natal care,
childbirth complications and preventable childhood diseases.
31. Twenty-nine countries out
of 37 provide for rehabilitation services and 22 have established
community-based rehabilitation (CBR) approaches. In one notable model
in Bangladesh, three government departments work together with more than 100
NGOs and some organizations of people with disabilities to provide
rehabilitation to people with disabilities within their community.
Deliberate policy decisions have resulted in extensive CBR service delivery
in China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines and rapidly
expanding services in Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam.
32. However, many
rehabilitation services in the region are still urban and institution-based.
They lack consultative and participatory mechanisms that would allow people
with disabilities and their families a role as equal partners in
problem-solving.
33. It is estimated that well
under 10 per cent of children with disabilities in developing countries have
access to education. Lack of data on the number and prevalence of
children with disabilities makes it impossible to measure progress or gain a
better understanding of these issues.
34. There is some evidence that
the situation is improving. Legislation mandating education for all children
has been passed or is being planned by 20 Governments. However, only a
few Governments provided for the inclusion of children with disabilities in
national Education for All plans. The predominant form of access to
education has been through separate school provision, but inclusive
educational provision was increasing. Twenty-seven Governments
reported some access to regular schools for children and youth with
disabilities.
35. It is roughly estimated
that less than 10 per cent of children and youth with disabilities have
access to any form of education, compared with an enrolment rate of over 70
per cent for non-disabled children and youth in primary education in the
region. This exclusion from education for children and youth with
disabilities results in exclusion from opportunity for further personal,
social and vocational development. Four targets are set for these
problems:
(1) Children with
disabilities will be an integral part of the population targeted by
Millennium Development Goal target 3, which is to ensure that, by 2015,
children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full
course of primary schooling;
(2) By 2010, at least 75 per
cent of children and youth with disabilities of school age will be able to
complete a full course of primary schooling;
(3) By 2012, all infants and
young children (0-4 years) will have access to and receive community-based
early intervention services;
(4) Governments should
ensure detection of childhood disabilities at a very early age.
36.
Actions in this area include adequate legislation for inclusive education
and national data collection on children with disabilities (0-16 years).
D. Access to built environments and public transport
37. Some progress has been made
in this area, with 24 Governments having adopted, or being in the progress
of developing, legislation and standards on accessible environments and
transport.
38. Inaccessibility of the
built environment, including public transport systems, is still the major
barrier for persons with disabilities. This problem will get worse, as
the number of older people with disabilities increases in the region.
A new inclusive, integral approach, “universal design”, benefits all people
in our society including older persons, pregnant women and young children
and its economic benefits have been proved; yet substantive initiatives at
the policy level have not been taken. Three targets are set to improve
the situation:
(1) Governments should adopt
and enforce accessibility standards for the planning of public facilities,
infrastructure and transport, including those in rural/agricultural
contexts;
(2) Existing public transport
systems and all new and renovated public transport systems should be made
accessible as soon as practicable;
(3) All international and
regional funding agencies for infrastructure development should include
universal and inclusive design concepts in their loan/grant award
criteria.
E. Training and employment, including self-employment
39. Of 28 Governments which
provide vocational training services, 5 were in the early stages of
establishing such services. Nine countries are moving towards
integrated provision of vocational training. Many strategies had been
adopted to promote increased rates of employment of people with
disabilities. Twelve countries have implemented a quota system with
incentives and fines being used to ensure enforcement. Additional
strategies include job search agencies, employment placement and support
centres, wage subsidies, job coaching, trial employment and industrial
profiling.
40. Strategies to promote
self-employment and income generation through small grant funding,
microcredit and loans have been reported in a number of countries.
These countries and others reported a specific focus on employment of people
with disabilities in rural areas. The Government of Japan has begun
employment promotion for people with severe disabilities within the private
sector.
41. Nevertheless, persons with
disabilities remain disproportionately undereducated, untrained, unemployed,
underemployed and poor. They have insufficient access to the
mainstream labour market owing to social exclusion, lack of trained and
competent staff and adequate training for independent workers.
42. By 2003, only 11 countries
in the region had ratified ILO Convention concerning Vocational
Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons), 1983. Three targets
follow:
(1) By 2012, at least 30 per
cent of the signatories will ratify ILO Convention concerning Vocational
Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons);
(2) By 2012, at least 30 per
cent of all vocational training programmes in signatory countries will
include persons with disabilities;
(3) By 2010, reliable data on
the employment and self-employment rates of persons with disabilities will
exist in all countries.
F. Access to information and communications, including
information, communication and assistive technologies
43. In terms of access to
communication, there is wide use of Braille and sign language, with popular
usage and access by hearing people in countries such as China and Thailand.
National sign language dictionaries were developed, and in 1999 in Thailand
sign language was declared the national language of deaf people.
44. Overall access to
communications technology and computer literacy in the region is clearly
limited and not available to the majority of people with disabilities,
especially those living in rural areas or in urban poverty. In terms
of accessible information and ICT-related services, much more needs to be
done. Where related ICT legislation has been passed, it is often not
enforced.
45. In the past 10 years, there
has been much progress in ICT development in some countries of the region,
and this opens up many opportunities for people with disabilities in
networking, solidarity, employment and independent living.
46. Advances in ICT have also
widened the gap between privileged disabled persons and non-privileged ones,
as well as persons with disabilities and the non-disabled. The digital
divide includes inaccessibility of infrastructure for ICT and the Internet,
as well as English language skills. These problems are acute in rural
areas. The multimedia environment and graphics-based electronic
information are creating new forms of barriers for people with visual
disabilities.
47. Based on information from a
disability survey in the Republic of Korea (the most advanced ICT
environment in the region) which revealed that persons with disabilities
have 75 per cent less opportunity to access the Internet than non-disabled
persons, legislation has been passed to implement measures to redress the
imbalance in computer literacy between persons with and without
disabilities. Japan has issued information accessibility guidelines
for Japanese personal computer manufacturers, thus involving the private
sector as a partner. Accessibility was reported as an emerging concern
in Hong Kong, China; Thailand; and Turkey, where free access to computers
was made available.
48. Indeed, access to
communications technology and computer literacy has the capacity to
transform the lives of persons with disabilities, greatly enhancing their
capacity to pursue gainful livelihoods. Five targets are set to
improve the situation:
(1) By 2005, persons with
disabilities should have at least the same rate of access to the Internet
and related services as other citizens in a country;
(2) By 2004, international
organizations should incorporate accessibility standards for persons with
disabilities into their international ICT standards;
(3) Governments should adopt,
by 2005, ICT accessibility guidelines for persons with disabilities in
their national ICT policies;
(4) Governments should
develop and coordinate a standardized sign language and finger Braille in
each country and disseminate and teach the results through all means,
i.e., publications, CD-ROMs, etc.;
(5) Governments should
establish a system in each country to train and dispatch sign language
interpreters, Braille transcribers, finger Braille interpreters and human
readers and to encourage their productive employment.
G. Poverty alleviation through capacity-building, social
security and sustainable livelihood programmes
49. Increasingly the link
between poverty and disability and the unmet needs of the majority of
disabled persons living in rural areas is being recognized. The
capacities of persons with disabilities must be developed so that they may
contribute to community-based solutions to the particular problems that they
face. Governments need to ensure that vulnerable persons with
disabilities are able to access health, education, training and employment
services and are integrated into community development programmes. The
low rates of access to appropriate education for children with disabilities
and high rates of unemployment for youth and adults with disabilities in
rural areas both need urgent attention.
50. Persons with disabilities
are the poorest of the poor. It is estimated that 160 million persons
with disabilities in the region, over 40 per cent of the total, are living
in poverty, unable to benefit from their socio-economic rights. It is
also estimated that 70 to 80 per cent of people with disabilities in some
countries of the region live below the national poverty line.
51. Research has found that a
higher proportion of households having members with disabilities were living
below the poverty line and had lower total assets, smaller land holdings and
greater debt than households without disabled members. The
unemployment rate has been at least twice or even three times that of
non-disabled people. When disabled people are employed, there is a
greater tendency for them to be underemployed relative to their levels of
training.
52. Malnutrition in its various
forms is a cause of disability as well as a contributory factor in other
ailments that increase susceptibility to disabling diseases. According
to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, there are
currently 515 million Asians chronically undernourished, accounting for
about two thirds of the world’s hungry people.
53. Poverty and disability
worsen each other when persons with disabilities are socially excluded and
adequate social services are not provided.
54. The extra costs directly
related to disability can be considerable. In India, a survey found that the
direct cost of treatment and equipment varied from three days’ to two years’
income, with a mean of two months.
55. Pursuant to the United
Nations Millennium Development Goal target 1, Governments should halve,
between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of persons with disabilities whose
income/ consumption is less than one dollar a day. Governments should
integrate disability dimensions into MDG baseline data collection and
analysis and allocate a certain percentage of the total rural
development/poverty alleviation funds to persons with disabilities.
H. Disability statistics and research
56. The establishment of
national databases is essential to provide accurate information on people
with disabilities and their situations, without which it is difficult to
plan appropriate services and monitor progress towards the achievement of
full participation and equality.
57. Many Governments have taken
action to collect data on disabilities. Ten Governments have developed a
national disability database and five Governments are planning to develop
one. Some countries have data collection to include information on
children with disabilities vis-à-vis education, others a database focused on
industrial profiles and job opportunities for people with disabilities.
Five Governments have established databases to collect information on users
of various services available to people with disabilities.
58. In the Pacific island
economies, comprehensive and specific disability surveys were undertaken in
some areas and further surveys are planned for others. The Republic of
Korea has been conducting national surveys on disability every five years,
the findings of which have supported policy changes to address disability
issues.
59. There still remain many
problems in this area: data collection is not transparent in some contexts;
it does not reflect the full extent of disability and this renders
comparison of data meaningless. These limitations are due in part to
the conceptual framework adopted, the scope and coverage of the surveys
undertaken and the definitions, classifications and methodology used.
60. A common system of
definition and classification of disability is not uniformly applied in the
region. Two strategies are set to solve the problem. Strategy 8
of BMF calls for Governments to develop, by 2005, their system for
disability-related data collection and analysis. Strategy 9 calls for
Governments to adopt, by 2005, definitions on disability based on the United
Nations publication, Guidelines and Principles for the Development of
Disability Statistics.
I. Rights-based legislation
61. Thirteen Governments out of
37 survey respondents have adopted comprehensive disability legislation, 9
Governments reported that legislation was in preparation and 27 have
enacted, or are in the process of revising, extensive additional specific
legislation or regulations. Measures for the enforcement and enactment
of anti-discrimination legislation have also been undertaken by a number of
Governments.
62. Several good practices of
national laws are found in the Law of China, the 1991 Act of Thailand, the
Magna Carta in the Philippines and related national laws in Bangladesh, Sri
Lanka and Viet Nam. The new Constitution of Timor-Leste, which was
adopted in August 2001, includes two articles that refer to the rights of
people with disabilities.
63. A major challenge in this
area is the establishment of stricter mechanisms for the enforcement of
legislation and the application of penalties for non-compliance.
64. Strategy 2 of BMF calls for
Governments to examine the adoption and implementation of non-discrimination
policies. Strategy 3 draws attention to national human rights
institutions as agencies to protect disabled people’s rights. Strategy
4 calls for Governments to actively involve persons with disabilities in
policy development. Strategy 5 calls for Governments to consider
ratifying the core international human rights treaties. Strategy 6
calls for Governments to consider support for the Ad Hoc Committee on a
Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on Protection and
Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities.
Strategy 7 calls on Governments to include persons with disabilities and
their organizations, in their procedures at the national, regional and
international levels, concerning the drafting and adoption of the proposed
human rights convention on disability.
III. ESCAP ACTIVITIES DURING 2003
65. Taking into consideration
the above-mentioned conditions and targets, ESCAP has programmed
well-focused activities to be undertaken during 2003, in the following
areas:
(a) An
international convention to protect and promote the rights and dignity of
persons with disabilities;
(b) Access to
information and ICT;
(c) Women and
disability;
(d) Access to
built environments;
(e) Poverty and
disability;
(f)
Regional networking;
(g) Disability
statistics.
A. An international convention to protect and promote
the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities
66. In 2003, three consecutive
activities have been planned on the elaboration of an international
convention. First, an Expert Group Meeting and Seminar on an
International Convention to Protect and Promote the Rights and Dignity of
Persons with Disabilities was held at Bangkok from 2 to 4 June 2003.
67. In pursuance of previous
United Nations resolutions, this Expert Group Meeting and Seminar was held
to generate a regional input to the elaboration of an international
convention on the rights of persons with disabilities. It increased
awareness and interest among civil society organizations, particularly human
rights NGOs, and Governments in the region with regard to the international
convention. The training seminar component of this activity greatly
helped to empower people with disabilities themselves by enhancing their
knowledge of the human rights issues and negotiation skills, and to ensure
their active participation in the national process of elaborating the
convention.
68. As requested in General
Assembly resolution 57/229 of 18 December 2002, the recommendations of this
Expert Group Meeting and Seminar (Bangkok recommendations) were made
available by ESCAP to the Ad Hoc Committee at its second session, held in
New York from 16 to 27 June 2003.
69. It will also serve as a
main background document for two forthcoming meetings on the subject to be
organized by ESCAP during the second half of this year, at Bangkok (October)
and Beijing (November).
70. The participants in the
first Bangkok Expert Group Meeting were convinced that a new international
human rights treaty was necessary to ensure that persons with disabilities
fully enjoy their human rights in the region.
71. Notwithstanding possible
limitations and shortcomings, the move towards a new international
convention for people with disabilities will have positive effects on
Governments in the region and their development of anti-discriminatory
national laws and policies to protect and promote the rights of persons with
disabilities.
B. Access to information and ICT
72. From 2003 forward, all
ESCAP regional meetings and workshops on disability will utilize the
standard format of accessible electronic reporting, including e-proceedings
and virtual on-line discussion with a fully accessible standard format of
web site home pages and CDs to accommodate the special needs of blind
end-users. In 2003, ESCAP and the Asia-Pacific Development Center on
Disability (APCD) co-organized a regional workshop on accessible web
page-based networking for people with disabilities.
C. Women and disability
73. Strengthening the capacity
of women with disabilities and their organizations is a priority if persons
with disabilities are to take responsibility for their own development, in
partnership with Governments and NGOs.
74. ESCAP is implementing a
project designed to provide a good package of advocacy skills by organizing
two consecutive training workshops targeting mainly women with disabilities.
The workshops’ agenda will cover the BMF targets and enhance the
understanding of the concept of gender mainstreaming among NGOs and SHOs of
persons with disabilities so that they will be familiar with and accept BMF
and be motivated to take the necessary actions to achieve the BMF goals,
particularly those related to women and disability. Beneficiaries will
include policy makers of national and international NGOs and SHOs in
addition to some governmental organizations. The project will promote
a rights-based approach through training sessions to generate unified ESCAP
regional support for the ongoing process of elaborating an international
convention on the rights of persons with disabilities.
75. This project is devised to
provide advocacy skills for women with disabilities to participate actively
in the national, regional and global efforts towards an international
convention on protection and promotion of the rights and dignity of persons
with disabilities, taking into consideration international and regional
instruments and norms such as the 1993 Standard Rules on the Equalization of
Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities.
76. The recommendations from
the planned workshops will be incorporated into the ESCAP regional meeting
on the international convention to be held in October and provide a vital
regional input to future global sessions of the Ad Hoc Committee on a
Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on Protection and
Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities.
D. Access to built environments
77. ESCAP and APCD co-organized
the Regional Training of Trainers Course on the Promotion of
Non-handicapping Environments for Persons with Disabilities at Bangkok from
24 February to 11 March 2003.
78. ESCAP joined the Royal Thai
Government and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) through
APCD to organize this training workshop of trainers to strengthen
capabilities in improving access in ESCAP developing countries.
Beginning this year, APCD will be the main organizer of this training
course. APCD is a joint initiative of the Government of Thailand and
the Government of Japan through JICA. APCD was established as a legacy
of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons concluded in 2002.
Around 30 participants from nine countries, including policy makers,
architects, urban planners and persons with disabilities attended this
two-week training session.
E. Poverty and disability
79. ESCAP collaborated with the
Colombo Plan Secretariat in organizing a training workshop on raising
awareness on mainstreaming disability rights and concerns into national
development across all sectors from 24 to 29 March 2003. The training
was specifically designed for public sector officials in decision-making
positions.
80. Some 20 participants from
Colombo Plan member countries participated in the workshop. They
experienced an extensive and intensive one-week training course that
included a field visit to a slum area of Bangkok, exposure to an interactive
panel discussion by leading local disability advocates and a disability
experiential exercise, which sensitized them to issues of physical access in
the built environment. The participants prepared action plans for
implementation on return to their home countries.
81. The participants noted some
recent improvements in mainstreaming disability issues into pro-poor
development strategies and in formulating comprehensive development policies
targeting persons with disabilities and their families at the national
level. However, they felt that progress had been uneven and limited,
and the majority of people with disabilities were prevented from receiving
adequate food, balanced nutrition, productive employment and other very
basic social services such as access to safe drinking water and sanitation.
82. The course curriculum
covered such critical issues as (a) disability, poverty and development, (b)
access to basic social services, (c) promotion of participation of persons
with disabilities through social mobilization, (d) promotion of employment
and income generation activities and (e) coordination mechanisms and
multisectoral convergence. The policy makers particularly valued the
experiential disability simulation exercise and the opportunity to visit the
Klong Toey slum community in Bangkok, where they gained first-hand knowledge
of the challenges faced by poor families with a disabled family member.
F. Regional networking
83. ESCAP has been organizing
biannual sessions of the Thematic Working Group on Disability-related
Concerns. The first session in 2003 was held at Bangkok on 5 and 6
June 2003. The Group’s primary objective is to sustain the momentum
towards the fulfilment of the BMF goals in the new Decade. The
position of co-chairperson has been held by ESCAP, other United Nations
agencies and NGOs. The membership has expanded to include 50 NGOs,
some 15 government representatives and the Asian Development Bank. The
Group had been active in setting targets for the final period of the first
Decade and in reviewing the achievements in the implementation of the Agenda
for Action.
84. The Group was instrumental
in advocating the extension of the Decade, 2003-2012. Members were
actively engaged in assisting ESCAP in drafting BMF. Several task
forces have been formed to promote advocacy and action in fulfilment of the
particular BMF targets in such areas as Education for All, including
children with disabilities; employment and training; access to information
and ICT; emerging issues in Timor-Leste and Afghanistan; an international
convention; women and disability; and SHOs. These task forces have
been very effective in raising awareness of the need to include children
with disabilities in national education, promoting inclusion of concerns of
persons with disabilities in regional ICT meetings and facilitating funding
for a project to support national survey and disability awareness in Timor-Leste.
G. Disability statistics
85. Lack of data makes it
difficult to assess improvements achieved during the Asian and Pacific
Decade of Disabled Persons. Clearly, further action is needed to
achieve full participation and equality.
86. ESCAP is organizing a training
workshop on disability measurement. ESCAP is attempting to offer
selected member countries a forum where they can meet to discuss their
problems related to measuring disability, including various issues such as
definitions, classifications, standardization, data collection, sampling,
reporting and identification of selected good policy indicators for
monitoring purposes. The workshop could also contribute to ensuring
that the Asian and Pacific perspective is taken into consideration in
international disability initiatives such as the Washington Group on
Disability Measurement. Currently, Australia is the only country in the
region that has participated in the first two meetings of the Washington
Group on Disability Measurement.
IV. FUTURE CHALLENGES
87. Achievement of the theme
and goal of the new Decade is still at its very initial stages.
Progress made during the first Decade was so uneven that most of the key
goals of BMF will pose serious challenges in the years ahead.
88. The establishment of
national statistical databases is essential to provide accurate information
on people with disabilities and their situations, without which it is almost
impossible to plan appropriate services and monitor progress towards the
achievement of the goals. Excluded from education, people with
disabilities are excluded from other opportunities and development, and
condemned to live in poverty.
89. Strengthening of the
capacities of women with disabilities and their organizations is a priority
if persons with disabilities (both men and women) are to take responsibility
for their own development, in a participatory manner and in a sustainable
and mutually reinforcing partnership with Governments and NGOs.
90. Strong commitment by the
Governments of the region with full regional cooperation is needed to ensure
that the equal rights of all people with disabilities, including the right
to participate in development and decision-making, are fully achieved in
Asian and Pacific societies by 2012. By the year 2012 it is hoped that
the goals of the Biwako Millennium Framework will largely have been
achieved.
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