Resolution 54/1:
Strengthening regional support for persons with disabilities into the twenty-first century

The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific,

Recalling its resolutions 48/3 of 23 April 1992 on the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002, and 49/6 of 29 April 1993 on the Proclamation and Agenda for Action for the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002,

Noting the implementation efforts made in the first half of the Decade by many countries and areas in the Asian and Pacific region, including progress in the adoption of equalization legislation, as well as intercountry meetings hosted by the Governments of India, Japan, Malaysia and the Philippines on critical issues in implementation of the Agenda for Action related to assistive devices, non-handicapping environments, multisectoral collaboration and national coordination,

Welcoming the Seoul proposals adopted by the Meeting of Senior Officials to Mark the Mid-point of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, hosted by the Government of the Republic of Korea in September 1997,

Recognizing with appreciation the Subcommittee on Disability-related Concerns of the Regional Inter-agency Committee for Asia and the Pacific for pioneering collaborative inter-organizational Decade action,

Noting the need for a stronger regional impetus to support national and local endeavours in the second half of the Decade,

1. Requests the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly to endorse the present resolution and to encourage intergovernmental organizations to support its implementation in order to assist in addressing equalization issues faced by the majority of the world’s disabled persons, including disabled women and disabled children, who live in the Asian and Pacific region;

2. Urges all members and associate members:

(a) To intensify multisectoral collaborative action towards the fulfilment of the targets for the implementation of the Agenda for Action for the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002, endorsed by the Commission at its fifty-second session in April 1996;

(b) To contribute to the ESCAP technical cooperation trust fund for the Decade to meet capacity-building needs for information and technical assistance in multisectoral collaboration among diverse sectors, in support of the fulfilment of the Decade targets;

3. Further urges all governments which have not yet joined as signatories to the Proclamation on the Full Participation and Equality of People with Disabilities in the Asian and Pacific Region to do so before the next regional meeting to review the progress of the Decade, to be held in 1999;

4. Requests the Executive Secretary to strengthen secretariat assistance to members and associate members through the following action:

(a) Harnessing the multidisciplinary potential of the secretariat to enhance sensitivity to disabilities, that is, the inclusion of persons with disabilities and/or the consideration of the impact on disability-related concerns, as a performance criterion in the secretariat’s overall technical assistance, on a par with other criteria, such as gender sensitivity and relevance to development needs in the countries and areas of the region;

(b) Examining resource allocations within the secretariat, with a view to undertaking the adjustments required to enhance secretariat support for disability-related action;

(c) Mobilizing resources to replenish the Decade fund continually, for documentation, exchanges and field visits, and to disseminate good practices in the implementation of the Agenda for Action for the Decade, giving special attention to the enhancement of knowledge and skills among persons with disabilities and the equal participation of disabled women and girls;

(d) Generating practical guidelines for advancing equal access by disabled persons to mainstream development opportunities, by organizing and following up on two regional meetings in 1999, in close collaboration with other members of the Subcommittee on Disability-related Concerns, on the following topics:

(i) Education and technology for the specific needs of disabled children and youth;

(ii) Implementation of the United Nations Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities and fulfilment of the Decade targets;

(e) Exploring the means of organizing, by the end of 2002, a high-level regional meeting to consider the lessons learned from national and area efforts towards the fulfilment of the Decade targets, so as to lay a solid foundation for the inclusion of persons with disabilities in mainstream society into the twenty-first century;

5. Further requests the Executive Secretary to report to the Commission biennially on the progress made in the implementation of the present resolution, with emphasis on follow-up action to reinforce the impact of the above-mentioned regional meetings, and to submit recommendations to the Commission, as required, concerning continuous secretariat action to improve the opportunities for persons with disabilities to participate in the development process, until 2003, when the overall endeavours of the Decade will be reviewed as a full item in the agenda for the fifty-ninth session of the Commission, to serve as a basis for further action in the new millennium.

10th meeting
22 April 1998

Resolution 49/6
Proclamation and Agenda for Action for the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002

The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific,

Noting with concern that people with disabilities are among the poorest and most vulnerable members of most communities in the Asian and Pacific region and that special measures are required to ensure their full participation and equality in society,

Recalling the Manila Declaration on a Social Development Strategy for the ESCAP Region Towards the Year 2000 and Beyond, and Commission resolution 48/5 of 23 April 1992, in which the Commission endorsed the Strategy,

Reaffirming the need for priority to be assigned to the region's disadvantaged and vulnerable social groups, including persons with disabilities, as stated in the Social Development Strategy,

Recalling Commission resolution 48/3 of 23 April 1992 on the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002, endorsed by the Economic and Social Council in its decision 1992/289 of 31 July 1992,

Recalling also the successful intergovernmental Meeting to Launch the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002, held at Beijing from 1 to 5 December 1992, hosted by the Government of China through the China Disabled Persons' Federation, and supported by the Government of Japan,

Noting with appreciation the Proclamation on the Full Participation and Equality of People with Disabilities in the Asian and Pacific Region, which was adopted at that Meeting,

Welcoming the signing of the Proclamation by heads of State and Government and senior government officials of a number of ESCAP members and associate members,

Also welcoming the establishment of a trust fund for the Decade, subsequent to the adoption of Commission resolution 48/3, with generous contributions from the Governments of Australia, China, Hong Kong and the Republic of Korea,

1. Urges all members and associate members of the Commission to stress their commitment to the full participation and equality of people with disabilities in the Asian and Pacific region by joining as signatories to the Proclamation at the highest levels of government;

2. Adopts the Agenda for Action for the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002;

3. Requests all members and associate members to support national implementation of the Agenda for Action through public awareness activities, appropriate policies and other measures, and the allocation of resources;

4. Invites all Governments, donor agencies and the private sector to contribute to the trust fund for the Decade to ensure the successful implementation of the Agenda for Action;

5. Also invites the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Children's Fund and other concerned United Nations bodies and agencies, in close cooperation with ESCAP, to strengthen their support for the building of national capabilities for effective implementation of the Agenda for Action;

6. Requests the Executive Secretary:

(a) To give special attention, in collaboration with all concerned United Nations bodies and agencies and non-governmental organizations, to the development of regional activities in support of the implementation of the Agenda for Action for the full participation and equality of people with disabilities in the Asian and Pacific region;

(b) To include an item on the progress in implementing the Agenda for Action, incorporating information on the signatories to the Proclamation, on the agenda for the regional ministerial-level meeting to be convened in 1994 in preparation for the World Summit for Social Development to be held in 1995.

750th meeting
29 April 1993

Resolution 48/3
Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993 - 2002

Recalling all General Assembly and Economic and Social Council resolutions on disability matters, including General Assembly resolution 37/52 of 3 December 1982, by which the Assembly adopted the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons, and resolution 37/53 of 3 December 1982, on the implementation of the World Programme of Action, in which, inter alia, it proclaimed the period 1983-1992 the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons,

Recalling also Commission resolution 207 (XXXVI) of 29 March 1980, concerning effective implementation and follow-up of the objectives of the International Year of Disabled Persons, "Full participation and equality",

Mindful that the risk of disability increases with age and that, with the expected rapid ageing of the societies in the region, the number of disabled persons will increase substantially,

Recognizing that while the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons has increased awareness of disability issues and has facilitated considerable progress in the prevention of disability and the rehabilitation of disabled persons in the ESCAP region, progress towards improving the situation of disabled persons has been uneven, particularly in the developing and least developed countries,

Noting that the Expert Group Meeting to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons in the Asian and Pacific Region, held in August 1991, and convened by ESCAP, recognized that there was a need for a second decade of disabled persons to consolidate the gains achieved thus far in the ESCAP region,

Noting further that the Fourth Asian and Pacific Ministerial Conference on Social Welfare and Social Development, held in October 1991, expressed support for the declaration of a second decade of disabled persons,

1. Proclaims the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002, with a view to giving fresh impetus to the implementation of the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons in the ESCAP region beyond 1992 and strengthening regional cooperation to resolve issues affecting the achievement of the goals of the World Programme of Action, especially those concerning the full participation and equality of persons with disabilities;

2. Requests the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly to endorse the present resolution and to encourage, at the global level, support for its implementation;

3. Urges all member and associate member Governments to review the situation of disabled persons in their countries and areas, with a view to developing measures that enhance the equality and full participation of disabled persons, including the following:

(a) Formulation and implementation of national policies and programmes to promote the participation of persons with disabilities in economic and social development;

(b) Establishment and strengthening of national coordinating committees on disability matters, with emphasis on, inter alia, the adequate and effective representation of disabled persons and their organizations, and their roles therein;

(c) Provision of assistance, in collaboration with international development agencies and non-governmental organizations, in enhancing community-based support services for disabled persons and the extension of services to their families;

(d) Promotion of special efforts to foster positive attitudes towards children and adults with disabilities, and the undertaking of measures to improve their access to rehabilitation, education, employment, cultural and sports activities and the physical environment;

4. Urges all concerned specialized agencies and bodies of the United Nations system to undertake an examination of their ongoing programmes and projects in the ESCAP region, with a view to integrating disability concerns into their work programmes systematically and supporting national implementation of the present resolution;

5. Calls upon non-governmental organizations in the field of social development to utilize their experience and expertise in strengthening the capabilities and activities of organizations of disabled persons;

6. Urges organizations of disabled persons to cooperate with government agencies in strengthening means by which citizens with disabilities may realize their full potential, and to strengthen linkages among disabled persons in developed and developing countries to enhance their self-help capacity;

7. Requests the Executive Secretary to assist, subject to available financial resources, member and associate member Governments in the following:

(a) Developing and pursuing national programmes of action during the forthcoming Decade;

(b) Formulating and implementing technical guidelines and legislation to promote access by disabled persons to buildings, public facilities, transport and communications systems, information, education and training, and technical aids;

8. Further requests the Executive Secretary to report to the Commission biennially until the end of the Decade on the progress made in the implementation of the present resolution and to submit recommendations to the Commission, as required, on action to maintain the momentum of the Decade.