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The First Session of the Biwako Millennium Framework (BMF)
Stakeholders' Coordination Meeting |
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Reference Documents : TWGDC10/MINUTES UNITED NATIONS Tenth Session MINUTESThis document has been issued without formal editing. CONTENTS
I. OPENING OF THE MEETINGMs Thelma Kay, Director, Emerging Social issues Division (ESID) of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission (UNESCAP), opened the Tenth Session of the Thematic Working Group on Disability-related Concerns (TWG-DC) with a welcome statement. Ms Thelma Kay first extended her sincere gratitude to the participants who had already made significant contributions to the two workshops which were successfully completed immediately prior to the current TWG-DC Session. These workshops are "Workshop on Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) and Poverty Alleviation of Persons with Disabilities," organized by UNESCAP, and "Unlocking Potential: Multinational Corporation Roundtable on Disability and Employment," organized by the TWG-DC Task Force on employment and poverty alleviation. Ms Kay pointed out that the most recent UNESCAP resolution 61/8 of 18 May 2005 was significant since it provides a clear mandate to organize a three-day high-level intergovernmental meeting in 2007 for the midpoint review of the implementation of the Biwako Millennium Framework for Action towards an Inclusive, Barrie-free and Rights-based Society for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific (BMF). Ms Kay explained that the main objective of the current TWG-DC session was to actively involve the participants in a process towards the midpoint high-level intergovernmental meeting on the proposed UNESCAP strategy, entitled "Biwako plus 5: forward Looking Strategies for the Second Half of the Decade." Ms Kay concluded her speech by reaffirming our continued commitments for the rest of the Decade. The Tenth Session of the TWG-DC was chaired by the appointed chairperson, Mr Wim Polan of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). It was attended by some 80 participants. The list of participants is attached as Annex I. II. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDAThe TWG-DC adopted the following agenda.A. Meetings of Task Forces:
B. Plenary session:
III. CONFIRMATION OF THE MINUTES OF THE EIGTH SESSION OF THE TWG-DCThe minutes of the Ninth Session of the TWG-DC, held in Bangkok, from 1 to 2 December 2004, were adopted with minor amendments. IV. TASK FORCE ACTION REPORTSBrief reports were presented from the seven Task Forces listed in the agenda. Full Task Force minutes are presented in the Annex II. (a) Education for All Children and Youth with Disabilities (EFA) The Task Force members reported on activities they had either attended or initiated during the last six months. The activities included Tsunami damage assessment by the Christoffel-Blindenmission (CBM), translation of UNESCO toolkit for inclusive education in different languages, and UNESCO ongoing project to develop a "Manual for Action to Include Children with Disabilities in School System". The Task Force proposed that the current Task Force and the regional Flagship Working Group on the Right to Education for Persons with Disabilities were to be merged as one entity with a reason that goals and strategies of the two groups seemed identical. The Task Force further proposed its own name change reflecting the merge. However, UNESCAP secretariat showed some reservation because the merge had both substantive and structural ramifications for the Task Force, whose activities are open-ended by nature. Thus further clarifications of the proposal were requested and the detailed discussion would take place at the next Eleventh Session of the TWG-DC. (b) Employment and Poverty Alleviation The Task Force reported on two workshops, which it organized and was completed immediately prior to the current TWG-DC Session; 1) Workshop on Community-based Rehabilitation (CBR) and Poverty Alleviation of Persons with Disabilities (5 July 2005, Bangkok) and Unlocking Potential: a Multinational Corporation Roundtable on Disability and Employment (6 July 2005, Bangkok). The CBR Workshop's was attended by approximately 90 participants including policy-makers, CBR practitioners and representatives from disabled people's organizations. They agreed upon the "Joint Statement on CBR and Other Community Initiatives for Poverty Alleviation among Persons with Disabilities" at the end of the Workshop. The Statement delineates "Forming self-help groups should be encouraged in the process of CBR as role models and peer support are essential and effective for empowerment of persons with disabilities in the community." The secretariat informed that, building on the outcome of the Workshop, UNESCAP and China Disabled Persons Federation (CDPF) would co-organize a Field Study cum Regional Workshop on Capacity Building of Grassroots Self-help Groups of Persons with Disabilities in Local Communities in Chendgu, Sichuan Province, China, 16-18 August 2005. The Roundtable was attended by approximately 90 participants from multinational companies, disability policy-making bodies and disabled people's organizations. Task Force members, who had attended, shared their feedbacks on the Roundtable. Follow-up actions recommended by the Roundtable included continuing dialogue and exchange among the participants to collect more good practices on employment of persons with disabilities, replication of the multi-stakeholder roundtable at a national level, development of "the Resource Manuals for Employers" and formation of regional network of employers. (c) Information and Communications Technology (ICT) The Task Force reported on recent developments and planned activities in this area. One of the future activities, which was considered highly significant, was the Second World Summit for Information Society (WSIS), to be held in Tunis, Tunisia, from 16 to 18 November 2005. Mr Monthian Buntan, the Chairperson of the Task Force, was expected to participate in this Summit to further mainstream disability perspectives in the discussions and expected outcome document. The Task Force reported on its discussion on promotion of BMF implementation in the relevant five targets. The Task Force was of a view that many of the targets had not been achieved yet. However, members also recognized that many countries in the region now had developed their own national sign languages, which reflected the achievement of the BMF target 19. The Task Force was of a view that a regional survey on access to information and communications should be conducted in order to accurately assess the implementation of the relevant BMF targets. This survey results would supplement information derived from the UNESCAP BMF survey which has been distributed since 2004. According to the proposal UNESCAP, the Japanese Society for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities (JSRPD) and the Task Force would collaborate to conduct the proposed survey. The proposal was unanimously agreed by the plenary session and will be implemented as follows:
(d) Women with disabilities (WWD) The Task Force reported on its discussion on mainly three topics: incorporating disabled women's issues into mainstream gender activities; the proposed international convention on disability and implementation of the relevant BMF targets. The Task Force reported that a UNICEF representative made a presentation on its initiatives on girl's education. The Task Force felt that girls and women with disabilities should be appropriately incorporated into its activities. In relationship to the target 5 of the BMF, it was decided that an official letter would be sent from the Task Force to Ms Thelma Kay, Director of ESID requesting to incorporate issues of women with disabilities in the Thematic Working Group on Women's Empowerment and Gender Equality, organized by the Gender and Development Section of ESID. It was also decided that Task Force would submit recommendations to the UNICEF meeting to be held in Paris later this year, to incorporate disabled women's perspectives. As for the ongoing negotiation process of the international convention on disability, the Task Force strongly felt that the there should be a separate and independent article on women with disabilities in the draft text. Some Task Force members reported on achievements of the relevant BMF targets. For example, in Bangladesh, the National Forum of Organizations Working with the Disabled (NFOWD), a coalition of NGOs in disability field, has a policy to mainstream women with disabilities in the activities and has been appropriately translating it into practice. The Disability Discrimination Ordinance in Hong Kong, China, established in 1995, covers women with disabilities, and the law is sufficiently enforced. The Task Force held a view that the target 3 of the BMF on establishment of anti-discrimination measure on women with disabilities was already achieved in Hong Kong, China. (e) Self-help Organizations (SHOs) For the first time, representatives from Samoa and Solomon Islands participated in the meeting and reported on the recent developments in each country. The Task Force was informed that Solomon Islands had completed drafting of its national policy on disability (2005-2010), and had started drafting relevant legislation. The Task Force had a discussion on the implementation of the BMF targets under priority area 1 on Self-help Organizations (SHOs). UNESCAP secretariat informed that the regional workshop on the BMF in 2006 would focus on this particular area. (f) Proposed International Convention on Persons with Disabilities The Task Force first reported on two forthcoming meetings on the convention to be organized by UNESCAP: Workshop on Regional Follow-up to the Fifth Session and Preparation for the Sixth Session of the Ad Hoc Committee on International Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities (26-27 July 2005, Bangkok) and a side event on international cooperation (11 August 2005) during the Sixth Session of the Ad Hoc Committee. The Task Force reported progress made during the Fifth Session of the Ad Hoc Committee and expected deliberation during its Six Session. Government's negotiation over the articles from 7 to 15 was completed, so at the Six Session, negotiation over the articles from 16 to 25 was expected to take place. The Task Force also reported that there was growing uncertainty over the timing of the completion of the convention drafting process and impact of the UN structural reform on the content of the draft. Lastly, the Task Force reported on examples of national level efforts made to promote the international convention, namely, from Bangladesh, Australia, the Philippines and Thailand. (g) Post-conflict Countries Though the Task Force was not convened this time, Mr Laurentino Guterres of KATILOSA, a disability NGO from Timor Leste made a presentation on the recent development of national policy in the country (please see the Annex III for a copy of the presentation). The plenary session was informed that the policy was developed with a help of a USAID-funded consultant, and with consultation of multiple Government agencies, civil society organizations and persons with disabilities representing all of the 13 districts in the country. In this process, persons with disabilities accounted for more than 40 per cent. The drafted policy is now submitted to the Council of Ministers for the endorsement. V. REPORTS FROM THE WORKSHOP ON COMMUNITY-BASED REHABILIATION (CBR) FOR POVERTY ALLEVIATION (BANKOK, 5 JULY 2005) AND A MULTINATIONAL CORPORATION ROUNDTABLE ON DISABILITY AND EMPLOYMENT (BANGKOK 6 JULY 2005), CO-SPONSORED BY UNESCAP AND ILOFollowing a report made by the Task Force on employment and Poverty Alleviation, the plenary participants further exchanged information and views on the contents and follow-up activities on the two meetings. The plenary session held a view that both of the two meetings were successful. VI. PROPOSED STEPS FOR BIWAKO+5: FORWARD-LOOKING STRATEGIES FOR THE 2ND HALD OF THE DECADEB AT THE INTER-GOVERNMENTAL MEETING ON THE MID-POINT REVIEW OF THE BMF (2007) (UNESCAP)The secretariat made a presentation on its proposed steps for Biwako +5: Forward-Looking Strategies for the 2nd Half of the Decade at the Intergovernmental Meeting on the Mid-point Review of the BMF (2007) (please see the Annex IV for a copy of the presentation). First, the secretariat reiterated the importance of the three-day high-level intergovernmental meeting in 2007, which was mandated in the UNESCAP resolution 61/8 of 18 May 2005, and which would be the culminating point to establish strategies for the 2nd half of the Decade. Then, the secretariat proposed that TWG-DC participants be actively involving in the process of the drafting the strategies online and through a number of reviewing processes between now and 2007. The secretariat presented a prepared text with a set of key issues for the participants to brainstorm ideas. Formation of four thematic working groups was also recommended to work on specific aspects of the strategies. The plenary session unanimously agreed upon the proposed process and the formation of the working groups. Some participants at the plenary already nominated themselves to be members of the working groups. UNESCAP secretariat will communicate with all the members of the TWG-DC on this agreement online, seeking for wider membership of the working groups and encouraging the first review process at the forthcoming regional workshop on national action plan on disability, to be held from 19 to 21 October 2005. VII. OTHER MATTERSOn behalf of the Asian and Pacific Disability Forum (APDF), Mr J.B. Munro informed on the recent progress made regarding the APDF 2nd General Meeting. According to Mr Munro, the Meeting will be held from 24 to 27 June 2006 in Melbourne, Australia, with support provided by various Governmental agencies and NGOs such as Disability Australia. This Meeting will be held in conjunction with the TWG-DC session. It was announced and agreed that there would be no more session of the TWG-DC in 2005. Thus the next 11th Session of the TWG-DC would be the one to be held with this Meeting in Australia. ANNEX I
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SPECIALIZED AGENCIES
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| Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) | Mr Wim Polman, Rural Development officer, Bangkok | |
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United Nations Education, scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
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Mr Ko-Chih Tung, UIS Regional Advisor for Asia and the Pacific, UNESCO Regional Bureau, Bangkok | |
| Mr Hyunjoo Youn, Intern, UNESCO Regional Bureau, Bangkok | ||
| Ms Diah Yulianti, UNESCO Regional Bureau, Bangkok | ||
| World Health Organization (WHO) | Dr Chapal Khasnabis, Technical Officer, Disability and Rehabilitation (DAR) Team, World Health Organization, Geneva | |
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SECRETARIAT
| Mr Kim Hak-Su | Executive Secretary | |
| Mr Shigeru Mochida | Deputy Executive Secretary | |
| Ms San Yuenwah | Special Assistant to the Executive Secretary and Secretary of the Commission |
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| Ms Thelma Kay | Director, Emerging Social Issues Division | |
| Ms Keiko Osaki | Chief, Population and Social Integration Section, Emerging Social Issues Division | |
| Ms Kay Nagata | Social Affairs Officer, Population and Social Integration Section, Emerging Social Issues Division | |
| Ms Aiko Akiyama | Expert on Disability, Population and Social Integration Section, Emerging Social Issues Division |
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| Mr Peter Van Laere | Chief, Administrative Services Division | |
| Mr Christian de Sutters | Chief, Conference Services Section, Administrative Services Division |
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| Mr David Lazarus | Chief, United Nations Information Services |
7 JULY 2005, BANGKOK
DRAFT MINUTES
I. OPENING OF THE MEETING
The ninth session of the Task Force on Education for all Children and Youth with Disabilities was co-chaired by Mr Bill Brohier and Ms Penny Price. The session was attended by 51 members. We welcomed a number of participants who attended for the first time. We were very pleased also to welcome Mr Ko-Chih Tung, Director of the AIMS Unit of UNESCO and two of his associates, and Mr Cliff Meyers, Regional Adviser on Education from UNICEF.
Apologies were received from Olof Sandkull and Jon Kapp of UNESCO, Khun Phoranee of Parents Association, Graham Smith and Frank Hall-Bentick of Disability Australia.
The agenda and Minutes were adopted:
IV. REPORT OF TFA ACTIVITIES
1. Members of the Task Force have been active in advocacy roles and in the provision of technical expertise, particularly participating in a wide range of conferences and meetings related to the education of children with disabilities, including early intervention, in the region. There have been some activities at international level.
2. Activities of CBM
2.1 As an immediateresult of the Dec.26 tragedy, CBM Head Office and its Regional Offices of Central East Asia, South Asia (South), and South-East Asia sprang into action to assess the damage in the Tsunami-devastated areas of India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, as well as the typhoon-torn parts of the Philippine, to mobilize some short-term relief for persons with disabilities and to draw up long-term intervention programmes.
2.2 The workshop was the result of cooperation between the National Institute for Educational Strategies and Curriculum (NIESC), Ministry of Education and Training, local organisations and INGOs. The aim of the workshop was to analyse opinions and comments to formulate the first master plan for IE throughout Vietnam.
CBM funded USD 8,000 towards the workshop. Ms Silvana Inselmann, CEARO Regional Representative, Mr Wichai Srisura, Ms Sirin Atsilarat, CEARO Programme Officers and Mr Kirk Horton, Inclusive Education Advisor, all from Bangkok, attended. The master plan would try to develop potential schools to become Resource Centres in order to share human resources and facilities, and serve as production units, for Early Intervention and Inclusive Education.
2.3 May 04-06 Roundtable III, Disability Mainstreaming in Practice: The Case of Inclusive Education, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
This roundtable was the third of three regional roundtables held as part of the Disability Knowledge and Research programme (Disability KaR), a Department for International Development (DFID). The roundtables were organized by Healthlink Worldwide and a national disability organization in each of the countries where the roundtables took place.
It was attended by 64 participants. Among the participants were members of the inclusive education team and the Cambodian Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MoEYS), representatives of United Nations agencies, donor organizations and mainstream international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), and representatives of regional, national and grass roots disabled people's organizations (DPOs).
The discussions focused on the concepts of inclusive education, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to inclusive education (SWOT analysis) and strategies to overcome the challenges identified through the SWOT analysis.
It was noted that Cambodia has an existing law that prevents people with disabilities from becoming teachers. The Disability Action Council, Cambodia is working with the Ministry to have this law changed.
Mr Olof Sandkull/UNESCO-BKK and Ms Aiko Akiyama/UNESCAP-TWGDC made presentations, and Mr William G. Brohier represented CBM as a facilitator.
3. ICEVI (International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment)
3.1 Two Conferences, within the Asia-Pacific Region, have been held so far this year: Jan.23-27 West Asia Regional Conference in Delhi, India. Its theme was: Inclusion: Getting the Rights-Based Right Approach Right. Mr Larry Campbell, President of ICEVI, delivered the Keynote Address
February 20-23 East Asia Regional Conference in Jomtien, Thailand. The theme: Education for All - So Near and Yet So Far.
As the late Mr Lal Advani, representing the World Blind Union (WBU) and Mr William G. Brohier, as the then President of ICEVI and Regional Representative of CBM-SEAPRO, were the co-initiators who succeeded in getting Article 3.5 of the World Declaration on Education for All expanded from only:
The learning needs of the disabled demand special attention.
to the inclusion of this second crucial sentence:
Steps need to be taken to provide equal access to education to every category of disabled persons as an integral part of the education system.
Mr Brohier was invited to present the Keynote Address: Jomtien – Past, Present, and Future.
4. Flagship on the Right to Education for Persons with Disabilities: Towards Inclusion
The Flagship has formed a third Working Group on Teacher Education, recognizing the critical role of well trained teachers to achieve the goal of inclusive education for all children, including children with disabilities. The first meeting was held in Cairo, May 2005. Ms Penny Price is a member of this Working Group.
The second meeting of the Flagship Working Group on Disability Statistics and Data will be held in Paris, 25-27 July 2005. Mr Ko-Chih Tung, AIMS Unit of UNESCO-BKK, is a key member of this working group.
The full Flagship secretariat will hold an informal meeting in New York on 29-30 July 2005. This will be the first meeting of the secretariat since its initial meeting in Uganda in November 2003.
5. UNESCO-BKK
5.1
Mr Olof Sandkull attended the Disability and Inclusive Development
Conference 2004: Sharing, Learning and Building Alliances meeting held by
the World Bank in Washington, D.C., 30 November -1 December 2004. He
presented UNESCO Bangkok regional activities at the Education Round-table
and had a table in the exhibition.
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/
EXTSOCIALPROTECTION/EXTDISABILITY/
0,,contentMDK:20245996~pagePK:148956~piPK:216618~theSitePK:282699,00.html
5.2. The Toolkit for Creating Inclusive, Learning-Friendly Environments, launched by UNESCO-BKK has been or is being translated into Khmer, Vietnamese, Thai, Bhasa Indonesia, Urdo, Farsi, Karen, and Chinese. The Toolkit is being piloted and adapted in
Bhutan, Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Pakistan, Samoa and Viet Nam.
A revised "File-binder" version of the Toolkit with references to the UN Convention and Disability Guidelines is planned.
Mr Olof Sandkull will organize a side-event during the Ad hoc committee meeting for the UN Convention: Putting the convention into practice: ensuring education for all, 5 August 2005 and Pacific Inclusive Education-workshop in Samoa, 28-30 November)
For further information: o.sandkull @ unescobkk.org
6. UNESCO-BKK/AIMS Unit
6.1 The Project to develop a Manual for Action to Include Children with Disabilities in School Systems and in the EFA Monitoring System held a Writers' Review Workshop in Bangkok, 6-10 June 2005. It was attended by 50 people from the 5 countries in which case studies had been conducted, with representatives from government, schools, organizations of persons with disabilities, parents of children with disabilities, university teacher training professionals, NGOs engaged in inclusive education in the region, and experts. It included a large contingent from Thailand. The outcome of the Workshop was a series of recommendations from the perspectives of Government, School personnel, and other stakeholders including persons with disabilities, parents, community members, on issues of concern in the provision of education to children with disabilities. These issues included national policy, legislation, budgetary allocation, education providers, administration and implementation, multisectoral collaboration, the structure of the school system, teacher education, data, statistics, definitions, monitoring and evaluation, and the collaborative role of organizations of persons with disabilities, family members, parents organizations and community members. These recommendations will be incorporated into the Manual on Guidelines for Action which are currently in preparation. Penny and Bill were two of the resource persons at the Workshop and Penny is engaged in writing the Manual.
6.2 UNESCO-BKK TWG EFA
Ms Aiko Akiyama, Ms Penny Price and Mr William G. Brohier attended the TWG EFA meeting held on 3 June 2005 and presented a report on the activities of TF EFA and the Flagship on the Right to Education for Persons with Disabilities: Towards Inclusion. The report on Flagship activities is attached.
Deadline for receipt of Abstracts: September 15, 2005.
Please refer to the attached flyer for further details, and visit the website: www.icevi.org for full information about all three of the ICEVI Conference, as well as ICEVI itself.
CITA'05 (http://www.cita05.org) provides a platform to bring together researchers and practitioners from different research descriptions and fields of industry, to contribute to a pool of knowledge and experience as well as to collaborate in addressing the issues of applying, integrating and monitoring the ubiquitous computing. Thus, The theme of the conference for this time is Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing: Computing Anytime, for Everyone.
V. FLAGSHIP ON THE RIGHT TO EDUCATION FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES: TOWARDS INCLUSION
Background
At the first meeting of the Flagship Steering Committee in November 2003 terms of reference were prepared for the formation of a Flagship Working Group in the Asian and Pacific region. This is the first regional Flagship Working Group formed, and it was in recognition of the fact that TF EFA had in fact been performing the advocacy role of such a working group.
One of the strategies recommended for the Working Group was that it form a partnership with TF EFA. Many of the activities in the suggested action plan have already been carried out by TF EFA, with its partners, or are in progress. The goals and strategies of the two entities are identical. Discussion on this issue had taken place at the last two meetings of TF EFA.
Discussion on the Flagship issue suggested that more agencies than those nominated currently as part of the Coordinating body would be interested in being involved. This confirmed the interest that had been shown in December 2004. TF EFA adopted a resolution to merge TF EFA with the regional Flagship Working Group to form one entity. TF EFA would seek approval from TWGDC to become the TWGDC Task Force and Flagship Working Group on the Right to Education for Children and Youth with Disabilities in the Asian and Pacific Region (TF and RFWG on the Right to Education).
The recommended organization would be as follows:
A coordinating body or secretariat consisting of RI Education Commission and RI Asia/Pacific, CBM, (Currently Co-Chairs of TF EFA), UNESCAP and UNESCO Bangkok will organize and co-chair joint meetings of TF EFA and the Regional Flagship Working Group for Asia and the Pacific (RFWG), and will undertake secretariat tasks.
Meetings of the Regional Flagship Working Group (RFWG) will be held jointly with TF EFA, within the framework of TWGDC, in accordance with the schedule of UNESCAP. Any additional meetings or activities will be organized by the joint TF EFA and RFWG secretariatwithout any expectation of UNESCAP support.
The secretariat of the joint TF EFA and RFWG will act as the link between the Flagship secretariat (UNESCO-HQ and University of Oslo) and the Working Group in terms of coordinating activities in the region in liaison with other partners.
The combined TF EFA and the RFWG will report to TWGDC (UNESCAP), TWG EFA (UNESCO-BKK) and to the Flagship secretariat (UNESCO-HQ and University of Oslo).
The Flagship sees the formation of regional Working Groups as one of its key strategies for achieving the goal of education for all persons with disabilities. It is hoped that the Asian and Pacific region will provide a model in this regard, in much the same way that the Asian and Pacific Decade has done in the African and Arab region.
VI. REPORT OF THE 5TH AD HOC MEETING TO DRAFT TEXT FOR AN INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION TO PROMOTE AND PROTECT THE RIGHTS AND DIGNITY OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES, HELD IN NEW YORK, 24 MAY-8 JUNE 2004. IDA DRAFT TEXT FOR ARTICLE 17; 5TH AD HOC MEETING:
24 JANUARY-4 FEBRUARY 2005; 6TH AD HOC MEETING 1-12 AUGUST 2005
Ms Heidi Forrest reported that there were some contentious aspects in the draft text, particularly concerning issues of alternative modes of communication. Mr J.B. Munro received strong support for his statement that with 80 per cent of disabled children living in rural areas they must be able to go to local community schools. UNICEF also spoke in favour of an inclusive approach and said that the link with support to students and teachers in regular schools must be strengthened. Heidi will attend the 6th Ad Hoc meeting.
VII. REPORTS FROM TF EFA MEMBERS
We were very pleased to welcome Mr Cliff Meyers to the meeting.
Mr Meyers reported that UNICEF had a new Director and that there was renewed emphasis on inclusive education and children with disabilities. Mr Meyers was concerned that inclusive education was becoming a catch-all for a wide range of children and that this was detracting from the focus on children with disabilities. He said that regional resources in the East Asia and Pacific region would be used to encourage country level advocacy linked inclusive education.
Mr William G. Brohier (Bill) reported on an initiative of the WBU and ICEVI who attended the NGO Committee on UNICEF on June 4, 2005. WBU was also representing other organizations which were unable to be present: Inclusion International, Rehabilitation International, and the Canadian Association for Community Living.
A Brief on shared concerns regarding children with disabilities was presented (See file: ICEVI.WBU UNICEF Briefing Note June 2005.doc Annex A). The proposal to have an NGO Committee Working Group on Children with Disabilities was unanimously agreed upon. This was a very important step for us as we have the full support of the NGO Committee. The Working Group will be made up of the World Blind Union, ICEVI, Inclusion International, and CACL, as well as other interested parties. The goal will be to work toward the inclusion of children with disabilities in all of UNICEF's programmes.
On 6 June 2005 a meeting was held with Ms Alexandra Yuster who has the full responsibility of children with disabilities under the category of Protection. It was a very successful meeting. Ms Yuster spoke of the Guidance Note on Childhood Disability that she was involved in writing last year with the consultation of many interested parties. The hope is to distribute the Note to all UNICEF programmes and have children with disabilities included across the board. Ms Yuster agreed to be the Working Group on Children with Disabilities link person with UNICEF. Ways were discussed in which to partner with UNICEF. Two important ways in which we might be able to work together were discussed. The first is in gathering data on the numbers of children with disabilities
Finally a meeting was held with Ms Ann Veneman, new Executive Director of UNICEF. There were about 25 organizations represented, many with the CEO present. Each had the opportunity to tell her about their organization concerns for UNICEF, and spoke on behalf of all children with disabilities and about blind children in particular. She showed interest in all the organizations. There is a need to show up at as many UNICEF meetings as possible to maintain a high level of attention on this issue. The climate has changed in UNICEF in favor of children with disabilities.
The Director, Ministry of Justice and Empowerment, Government of India, Ms Mridul Jain reported on the new policy on inclusive education in India, for children with disabilities from 6-14 years, with defined budgetary support for each child for assistive devices and mobility training and other supports. This included the establishment of 25 District Disability Centres which would train teachers in their district.
Inclusive education
There was extensive discussion on the parameters of inclusive education; with a dilemma described by Joseph in Hong Kong as to whether separate policy should be developed to ensure education for children with dyslexia, learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders. Cliff (UNICEF) reported that in Laos the IE program was now considering girls and under-nourished children as part of its targets and he warned again about diluting the focus from children with disabilities.
Teacher training was seen, as a key factor for success but examples of teachers with special training being removed from classes with children with disabilities is counter productive and a waste of limited human resources. There is a need for advocacy for more training of teachers in special education, both pre-and in-service training. Resources are a major issue.
Mr Ko-Chih Tung reported on the problems of data and statistics, with complete lack of data on children with disabilities and education. WHO health statistics were too elaborate, requiring clinical analysis. Old style household surveys did not gain information related to education sector and were hard to analyse.
School statistics consisted of little more than a simple count. Some countries are trying to incorporate specific questions on children with disabilities. The UNICEF MICS surveys cannot be used without a panel of medical specialists. There is a need to develop a pragmatic/functional/participatory approach. Research is on-going under the work of the Flagship Working Group on Disability Statistics and Indicators.
Mr Ko-Chih Tung requested that anyone with data on children with disabilities send it to him: kc.tung@unescobkk.org
Mr J.B. Munro reported on the very effective surveys undertaken in several Pacific countries by Inclusion International with local participation.
The meeting concluded at 10.30 and it was agreed that the participants were willing to continue in the 08.00 time slot.
Appendix A
BRIEFING NOTE
UNICEF and Children with Disabilities: Moving Forward With Inclusion Prepared Jointly by the World Blind Union, Inclusion International, the Canadian Association for Community Living, and the International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment, and handed to the UNICEF NGO Committee and the new Executive Director of UNICEF, Jun.4-7, 2005.
UNICEF, with the support of the NGO Committee, should increase its focus on children with disabilities. This will enable UNICEF, as the lead agency for children, to better promote and advance the human rights and full inclusion of children with disabilities in its policies, programmes and partnerships.
Please consider that:
The challenges:
Children who have a disability are consistently among the world's poorest and most disadvantaged children. They face the double disadvantage of being both children and a person with a disability. The realization of their human rights requires strategies to promote inclusion in the home with their families, in their communities and in systems of education, early child development and health.
Children with disabilities have been largely invisible in international efforts and initiatives, even those specifically targeted at children. For example, UNICEF's State of the World's Children 2005 does not address the issue of disability in any great detail. Without the inclusion of children with disabilities many international initiatives, such as the MDGs and Education for All, cannot be achieved. Currently, UN states parties are negotiating the development of a UN Convention on Disability. A critical question that remains unanswered is whether or not the Convention will contain a specific article on children with disabilities. In this regard we need the help and support of UNICEF.
Where children with disabilities are mentioned in the above initiatives, disability is often presented from a medical model understanding of disability. This broader monitoring framework often does not incorporate specific targets and indicators on children with disabilities. Without these, policies and programmes are often not held accountable for inclusion. Further, statistical information on children with disabilities has not been collected in a coordinated manner. Data collection on issues such as education often do not include questions on disability. These gaps in information present challenges to civil society, multilateral organizations and governments. Again, UNICEF can play a fundamental role in achieving these goals.
Ideas and mechanisms:
Conclusion:
Children with disabilities need a champion in UNICEF. The extreme marginalization of children with disabilities results in their invisibility in policy and programme development, and in monitoring and public reporting. UNICEF is in a key position to promote and advance the human rights and full inclusion of children with disabilities and to provide both a profile and priority to the issues of exclusion and marginalization facing children with disabilities throughout the world. The continued exclusion of children with disabilities represents a real threat to achieving international initiatives and true progress in their development. Inclusive approaches to children's rights are the only way to achieve progress for all. Most importantly, UNICEF can play a key role in achieving these goals - thank you!
List of attendance
Attendance sheet, 7 July 2005
Education
| Name | Organization | |
| 1. | Jason McKey | ACROD |
| 2. | Bryan Woodford | ACROD |
| 3. | Penelope Price | Rehabilitation International |
| 4. | Bill Brohier | CBM & ICEVI |
| 5. | Nipatta Quamman | Handicap International |
| 6. | Jaruwan Tiwasiri | Handicap International |
| 7. | Fung Wai Ying, Emily | Chosen Power |
| 8. | Jayamanne M.D.C. | |
| 9. | Seila Hort | VIC |
| 10. | Misako Arai | JSRPD |
| 11. | Long Ly | NCDP |
| 12. | Claire Perrin-Houdon | Handicap International |
| 13. | Aki Fujiwara | Handicap International |
| 14. | Anita Louineau | Parents' Association of the Intellectually Impaired |
| 15. | Chad Conlin | NGO Forum, Cambodia |
| 16. | Phoranee Louineau | Parents' Association of the Intellectually Impaired |
| 17. | Masudul Abedin Khan | Centre for Disability in Development |
| 18. | Nazmul Bari | Centre for Disability in Development |
| 19. | Mridul Jain | Ministry of Social Justice, India |
| 20. | Mary Scott | Cambodia Trust |
| 21. | Savina Daulaasi | Disabled Peoples' Association of Solomon Islands |
| 22. | Melody K. Sade | DPASI |
| 23. | J.B. Munro | Inclusive International, Asia Pacific region |
| 24. | Heidi Forrest | People with Disability Australia |
| 25. | Alanna Clohesy | People with Disability Australia |
| 26. | Nofovaleane Mapusua | |
| 27. | Robinson Saragih | Ministry of Social Affairs |
| 28. | Kenji Kuno | JICA, Malaysia |
| 29. | Ko-Chih, Tung | UNESCO |
| 30. | Dominique Blu | Handicap International |
| 31. | Catalina L.Fermin | NCWDP, Philippines |
| 32. | Laurentino Guterres | KATILOSA |
| 33. | Hyunjoo Youn | UNESCO |
| 34. | Diah Yulianti | UNESCO/AIM5 |
| 35. | Le Hai Anh | Disability Forum, Viet Nam |
| 36. | Nagase Osamu | Inclusive International |
| 37. | Farida Yesmin | CRRD |
| 38. | Lim Puay Tiak | NCSS, Singapore |
| 39. | Kirk Horton | Hiltav/ Perkins Program |
| 40. | Etsuko Ueno | APDF |
| 41. | Joseph Kwok | Joint Council, Hong Kong, China |
| 42. | Nareewan Chintaka | FAPCD |
| 43. | Ngy San | Disability Action Council |
| 44. | Cliff Meyers | UNICEF |
| 45. | Norani Hashim | Department of Social Welfare, Malaysia |
| 46. | Vi Hai Nam | National Coordinating Council on Disability, Viet Nam |
| 47. | Ngiem Xuan Tue | National Coordinating Council on Disability, Viet Nam |
| 48. | Pecharat Techavachara | Foundation for the Employment Promotion of the Blind |
| 49. | Amporn Techavachara | Foundation for the Employment Promotion of the Blind |
| 50. | Philip Yuen | Joint Council for the Physically and Mentally Disabled, Hong Kong |
| 51. | Limia Dewan | BRAC |
| 52. | Meghamali Aliwihare | Employers Federation of Ceylon |
| 53. | Rahamah Binti Hj. Mohd Baki | Department of Social Welfare, Bangi Industrial Training and Rehabilitation Centre, Malaysia |
ANNEX II (b)
EMPLOYMENT AND POVERTY ALLEVIATION TASK FORCE
7 JULY 2005, BANGKOK
I. OPENING OF THE MEETING
Ms Debra Perry, ILO, chaired the meeting and welcomed participants. Each participant introduced him or herself. Forty-five individuals representing UN agencies, governments and DPOs participated in the meeting. (See appendix 1 for list of all attendees). The agenda was adopted (see paragraph 2). Mr Bryan Woodford took meeting notes.
II and III. ADOPTION
The Chairman presented the following agenda, which was approved by those in attendance:
1. Welcome and self-introductions
2. Adoption of the agenda
3. Approval of the prior meeting Minutes
4. Update on activities
(a) MNC Roundtable Meeting with outcomes, follow-up and employer resource manual
(b) CBR Meeting with outcomes and follow-up required
5. Reports of activities, especially related to BMF targets * UN agencies and country level
6. Old issues
(a) Government as a model employer
(b) Intern to collect information
(c) More attention to credit/self-employment
7. New business
(1) The Minutes from the Employment and Poverty Alleviation Task Force meeting held on 1st December 2004 were reviewed. The Chairperson suggested that references to companies should be deleted. This would be appropriate since in some cases employers were never contacted by TWG members and it could appear that they declined to participate. This was approved. Otherwise the meeting minutes were confirmed.
(2) Debra briefed the Task Force members on the ILO/ESCAP Multinational Corporation Roundtable on Disability and Employment. In addition to the presence of fourteen companies, many of whom sent multiple representatives, two employers' organizations representatives attended resulting in a total of 25 business representatives. An overview of the agenda and outcomes were reviewed. Task force members who attended the shared their opinions about the event, which were overwhelming positive. The meeting was seen as a beneficial forum for stakeholders to learn from each other and an opportunity to launch partnerships.
(3) The representative from the Indian Government not that India is trying to come to terms with it high unemployment rates; and with many disabled persons in rural areas the challenges is great. The representative particularly was encouraged by the inputs from IBM and Nike. The government discussed the need to bring the message back to India and suggested replicating the meeting at national levels. Later in the meeting, several other representatives also discussed replicating the meeting at a national level.
(4) Ms Debra Perry noted that multinationals can be approached from two perspectives, using Nike in Viet Nam as an example. From the social responsibility perspective, Nike encourages and supports women's projects. From the business case, a Nike subcontractor hires many workers with disabilities and Nike promotes this as a best case. However, she also noted that multinational companies typically take their obligations to abide by national labour laws seriously. In Viet Nam, the laws restricting the working hours to 7 hours per day, makes the factory hiring of so many disabled persons quite remarkable.
(5) Ms Pecharat Techavachara noted that the theme of "Unlocking Potential" was a good choice since it promoted people with disabilities not as a burden, but as an asset to be released. He met with and plans to follow-up with two of the companies that expressed willingness to employer disabled persons.
(6) Ms Debra Perry noted that many of the companies were not aware of what was happening at the country level and gave some examples about companies that learned about how some of their outlets or offices at the country level where hiring working with disabilities. This internal awareness raising was one of the benefits of the Roundtable.
(7) A representative from Cambodia Trust commented that Mr Mark Bagshaw was an excellent role model, demonstrating that people with disabilities can aspire to top jobs.
(8) Government representatives from the Philippines and Indonesia shared their feelings about the Roundtable. The former found it a good forum for governments to listen and learn and noted that it presented opportunities that could be expanded. The Indonesian representative met several company representatives and hopes it will be an opportunity to establish student sponsorships.
(9) A representative from Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) in Bangladesh discussed the many of the people with disabilities were in rural areas and unemployed and further shared that she found it easier to promote blind persons to employers because they had skills.
(10) The Chair noted the opportunities for rural activities even among multinationals, using the Marriott/Hong Chi example and the possibilities it presents. Marriott is helping Hong Chi grow herbs and organic vegetables, which it then purchases for use in its hotels. It also purchases and distributes certain handicrafts items. This model could be replicated in tourist and eco-tourism areas. Ms Deborah Wan from Hong Kong, China, further described the relationship that results in people with intellectual disabilities getting training in housekeeping and baking. Others noted that hotels could hire blind masseurs and that airports presented another work opportunity for blind masseurs. The FAO representative noted that blind people can grow mushrooms and make incense sticks used in temples and offered that he can help make contacts with large number of community groups in this regard.
(11) Several meeting participants noted that NGOs have to respond to the companies' needs from a marketing perspective, especially by offering training to disabled persons according to the employer's needs. Ms Debra Perry brought up the example of Sri Lanka where the Employers' Federation of Ceylon in Sri Lanka works with Motivation and NGO, another example from the Roundtable to meet employer hiring needs by screening and matching appropriate job candidates and helping with training and follow-up.
(12) Ms Debra Perry discussed some of the meeting outcomes and suggestions. Some of the key follow-up points, which had been part of the Roundtable conclusions, were reviewed and discussed, including the following:
(13) Replicating the meeting at national levels.
(14) Becoming more proactive with employers and market responsive.
(15) Determining meeting impact. Debra repeated her intention to follow-up with all the participants for one year.
(16) Organizing a meeting in one year's time to review the progress and impact of the first Roundtable. There was general consensus that this would be a good idea. It was also noted that one of the companies (PriceWaterhouseCoopers) suggested that each of the MNCs should bring one other company to the next such event.
(17) Establishing a permanent network of companies interested in disability and development. Debra will take this up.
(18) Making the "disability mentoring" programme permanent. At the Roundtable, each company was paired with a disability expert to make sure they met the right people and to answer their questions. It was noted that this type of relationship could be on a permanent basis. A list of interested mentors was collected.
(19) Collecting additional examples of good practices among companies.
(20) Continuing to develop the Resource Manual for Employers which was drafted for the Roundtable meeting.
(21) Ms Aiko Akiyama briefed the participants on the CBR workshop that was held the 5 and 6July. Seventy persons attended the first day and 20 the second day, the latter being more informal in nature. The workshop focused on the conceptual CBR framework as well as topics such as mobilizing financial and human resources, networking, sharing innovative ideas and methods to assist self-help organizations. A joint statement on CBR and other community initiatives was prepared. It was distributed at the meeting.
(22) The participants discussed various aspects of the CBR meeting and the continued development of the model. The WHO representative (Chapel) noted that the meeting was a great opportunity to promote how CBR is evolving over time. A CBR matrix was presented at the meeting that needs to be promoted and used. It requires a multidisciplinary approach that must be responsive to multiple disabilities. He noted the difficulty in bringing the stakeholders together but said it can be done. A workshop involving UNESCO, WHO, FAO, ILO, ESCAP and others is needed. He also cautioned that the corporations should not be involved unless the field is prepared to follow-up and follow-up effectively with suitable job candidates.
(23) Other meeting participants supported Chapal's views. The WHO representative added that cooperatives should be brought to the table as well.
(24) With regard to reports of activities related to the BMF, Ms Debra Perry gave some selected activities:
(25) The Alleviating Poverty through Peer Training programme in Cambodia, which uses informal peer trainers and financial supports to help disabled persons start businesses, has a new component to serve women and families affected by disability.
(26) The ILO and Korean Employment Promotion Agency for the Disabled initiated a fellowship programme that provided training on policy development in June and would conduct another two-week programme in July related to vocational training. This is a significant development since it marks the introduction of the Korean government as a disability donor and participant in international cooperation in the region.
(27) China held a meeting on employment injury insurance; it programme includes rehabilitation provisions. It was also noted that CDPF in Shanghai and the ILO are holding a training session on organizing and following-up on an employer awareness workshop. Shanghai CDPF will hold such a workshop in the next couple of months.
(28) The ILO has conducted many other national level activities to promote BMF actions and principles, such as sponsoring a study tour on policy for a delegation from Laos and funding a disability advisor in Afghanistan for one year.
(29) A new ILO publication was published by headquarters and it was displayed. It is guidelines for drafting employment promotion legislation.
(30) It was noted that Fiji ratified ILO Convention 159 and that Cambodia, Thailand and Sri Lanka Ministers of Labour have expressed interest in doing so as well. A national meeting on C. 159 was held in Sri Lanka in February.
(31) FAO: Mr Wim Polman from the FAO noted a project in Sri Lanka that is building on established experiences in Thailand and that the FAO is planning a new wood project in Cambodia. A Korean project is also focusing on mushroom-growing for farmers.
(32) Philippines: Ms Catalina L. Fermin noted that the Philippines developed a national plan of action in response to the BMF and will conduct a biennial assessment. She also noted ICT training that is being undertaken and described a national congress on women with disabilities.
(33) Hong Kong, China: Ms Deborah Wan reported on many activities in Hong Kong, China include grants fro organizations that employment people with disabilities. More than 30 project have been funded that engage people with disabilities in community-based work such as car washing groups and restaurants. She noted the growing interest in social enterprises as a means to reduce welfare dependency and increase self-reliance. Mr Philip Chi-Hoi Yuen noted that disabled persons can be hired to Disneyland which will open shortly in Hong Kong, China. He also reported a conference held in March by people with mental illness. It was highly successful and attended by 300 delegates.
(34) 21. Bangladesh: Ms Lima Dewan noted BRAC activities in ICT training that is resulting in job.
(35) For trainees and the desire to start a poultry farm.
(36) 22. Sri Lanka: Megamali Aluwihare from the Employers' Federation further described the network on disability and noted that several trainings are underway, e.g. on job seeking skills and English-language training for disabled persons. She noted that rural areas are now being targeted and that a breakfast meeting with the CEOs will be organized to disseminate the information on the business case of hiring disabled persons.
(37) 23. Cambodia: Mr Ngy San from the Disability Action Council (DAC) noted that the Cambodian Government is committed to the activities laid down in the BMF and its targets have been incorporated into the government's five-year plan. A national forum will be held in August.
(38) 24. India: The Government is concentrating on three areas: Rights of people with disabilities, accessibility, and developing service centres across the country to provide localized services. Each state has a "disability-friendly" building, which serves as an example of how to achieve accessibility.
(39) 25. Eden Social Welfare Foundation: Emma Lee noted that her organization has initiated discussions with a gas station chain to employ people with disabilities in shops. She also noted the international conference held in Taiwan Province of China last May on accessible tourism, noting that the tourism industry presents many opportunities for the employment of people with disabilities.
40) Indonesia: Mr Robinson W. Saragih noted that eight programmes have been developed in response to the Decade. He also noted that in response to the tsunami disaster that many new buildings will be made accessible.
41) Debra noted several old business issues that had not been addressed, in particular issue that had been raised in prior meeting to consider the BMF call for government to be model employers and a desire to discuss micro-credit programmes.
(42) A discussion ensued about how to take up these and other issues at future meetings. It was suggested that an educational session be incorporated into future meetings. Mr Wim Polman was called upon to bring the International Cooperative Alliance or the Asian Confederation of Asian Credit Unions to a future meeting. Deborah Wan offered to conduct a presentation or even a workshop on social enterprises. No December meeting is scheduled, however. The next TWG meeting is not scheduled until June 2006, which will be the scheduled date for the next Multinational Corporation Roundtable as well.
(43) The meeting closed at 1:00 PM.
Attendance Sheet, 7th July
