REVIEW OF NATIONAL PROGRESS
IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AGENDA
FOR ACTION FOR THE ASIAN AND PACIFIC DECADE OF
DISABLED PERSONS, 1993-2002
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SUMMARY
The Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled
Persons, 1993-2002, will conclude in 2002.
The theme and goal of the Decade is the promotion
of the full participation and equality of
people with disabilities in the Asian and
Pacific region. Forty one members and associate
members of ESCAP in the region have signed
the Proclamation on the Full Participation
and Equality of People with Disabilities in
the Asian and Pacific Region.
The review process, conducted biennially
throughout the Decade, indicated that significant
achievements had been made in some of the
policy areas of the Agenda for Action for
the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons,
1993-2002. These included national coordination,
legislation and policy, training and employment,
prevention of causes of disability and self-help
organizations of disabled persons. Areas of
major concern included the continuing lack
of comprehensive data on people with disabilities
and the extremely low rate of access to education
for children with disabilities in the region.
Subregional progress had been uneven, with
countries and areas in north and central Asia
and the Pacific being slower in becoming engaged
with the Agenda for Action.
The Commission, by resolution 58/4 of 22
May 2002, has proclaimed the extension of
the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons
with a view to promoting an inclusive, barrier-free
and rights-based society for people with disabilities
in the Asian and Pacific region in the twenty-first
century.
The present report has been prepared for
the High-level Intergovernmental Meeting to
Conclude the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled
Persons.
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Introduction
1. The purpose of this paper is to review national
progress made towards achievement of the implementation
of the Agenda for Action for the Asian and Pacific
Decade of Disabled Persons (1993-2002), and to identify
constraints faced. The theme and goal of the Decade
is the promotion of the full participation and equality
of people with disabilities in the Asian and Pacific
region. The paper will also report lessons learnt,
identify priority areas for further action and highlight
some good practices.
A. Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled
Persons, 1993-2002
2. The Economic and Social Commission for Asia
and the Pacific (ESCAP), by its resolution 48/3
of 23 April 1992, proclaimed the Asian and Pacific
Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002, at the end
of the United Nations’ Decade of Disabled
Persons, 1983-1992. The aim was to give fresh impetus
to the implementation of the World Programme of
Action concerning Disabled Persons in the ESCAP
region beyond 1992 and to strengthen 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. The Proclamation on
the Full Participation and Equality of People with
Disabilities in the Asian and Pacific Region was
adopted at the Meeting to Launch the Asian and Pacific
Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002, held at Beijing
in December 1992.
3. The Agenda for Action for the Asian and Pacific
Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002, adopted by
the Commission at its forty-ninth session in 1993,
consists of 12 major policy categories. These include
national coordination, legislation, information,
public awareness, accessibility and communication,
education, training and employment, prevention of
causes of disability, rehabilitation, assistive
devices, self-help organizations and regional cooperation.
The Agenda has become an effective tool for Governments
in the ESCAP region to guide policy, planning and
implementation of programmes concerning people with
disabilities.
4. By July 2002, 41 members and associate members
of ESCAP had signed the Proclamation on the Full
Participation and Equality of People with Disabilities
in the Asian and Pacific Region. Dates of signatory
status range from 1992 to 2000, with most recent
signatories being Governments in the Pacific and
Central Asia. This indicates a lower rate of participation
and a shorter period of engagement with the Agenda
for Action for these two subregions.
5. The Decade will end in December 2002. The High-level
Intergovernmental Meeting to Conclude the Asian
and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons will be held
at Otsu City, Shiga, Japan, from 25 to 28 October
2002, hosted by the Government of Japan and the
Shiga Prefecture Government. By resolution 58/4,
the Commission, urged all its members and associate
members to participate actively in this meeting
and to review the outcome of the implementation
of the Agenda for Action. The Commission, by resolution
58/4, proclaimed the extension of the Asian and
Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002, for
another decade, 2003-2012.
B. The review process
6. In accordance with resolutions 48/3 of 23 April
1992, 49/6 of 20 April 1993 and 54/1 of 22 April
1998, regular biennial reviews have been undertaken
by ESCAP to assess progress towards achievement
of the goals of the Asian and Pacific Decade of
Disabled Persons. In 2001 a regional survey was
undertaken by means of a questionnaire sent to government
focal points in the region on the implementation
of the 12 policy areas in the Agenda for Action.
The survey solicited information on major achievements
during the Decade and on priority areas for improvement.
7. The present report has been prepared for consideration
by the High-level Intergovernmental Meeting to Conclude
the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons.
In preparing the report, data from the 2001 regional
survey have been supplemented by information from
earlier review meetings and additional meeting reports
and documents on activities undertaken in fulfilment
of the Agenda for Action. The report is based on
33 responses to the ESCAP survey questionnaire.
Four non-signatories to the Proclamation were among
the respondents to the questionnaire. The annex
to the present document shows the signatories to
the Proclamation and responses to the 2001 regional
survey.
I. REVIEW OF THE ACHIEVEMENTS MADE AND CONSTRAINTS
FACED IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AGENDA FOR ACTION
FOR THE ASIAN AND PACIFIC DECADE OF DISABLED PERSONS,
1993-2002
A. National coordination
8. Twenty-seven Governments in the Asian and Pacific
region have formed national coordinating committees
on disability – 22 were formed after the proclamation
of the Asian and Pacific Decade and 12 of these
have subcommittees reflecting the 12 policy areas
of the Agenda for Action. The establishment of such
coordinating committees is being planned in seven
other countries and areas. National policy and action
plans have been developed in 16 countries and areas
and are in the process of development in 13 others.
9. A majority of respondents (17) reported that
their national coordination committees were located
in the Ministry of Social Welfare. It appears that
disability is still perceived as primarily a welfare
issue. Furthermore, it is not clear to what extent
the multisectoral, multilevel national mechanisms
are effectively advancing a disability agenda through
advocacy and implementation involving the policy
planning, budgeting and evaluation processes at
the national and subnational levels.
10. Regular consultations with specially formed
consultative committees of people with disabilities
were reported by Bangladesh, China, the Philippines,
Sri Lanka and Thailand, among others. In Thailand
four people with disabilities are required to be
members of all provincial committees.
11. Significant steps have been taken by the Governments
of India, the Philippines and Thailand to include
disability issues within national development plans,
including human rights and poverty concerns.
12. The review indicated that a major constraint
to progress towards the goal of full participation
and equality of persons with disability is the continuing
lack of recognition of disability as a development
concern. A serious response requires policy planning
and implementation from the national to the local
grass-roots level and inbuilt monitoring and evaluation
mechanisms.
B. Legislation
13. The right to equality for people with disabilities
is explicitly enshrined in the Constitutions of
Fiji, India, Malaysia and Thailand. Thirteen Governments
in the ESCAP region have passed comprehensive disability
legislation, 11 having taken this action since the
inception of the Decade. These include Bangladesh;
Fiji; Hong Kong, China; India; Indonesia; Mongolia;
New Zealand; Russian Federation; Sri Lanka; Turkey
and Viet Nam. Nine Governments, including four from
the Pacific subregion, reported that legislation
was being prepared; 27 Governments reported that
they had enacted extensive additional specific legislation
or regulations. Extensive revision of existing legislation
had been undertaken by the Governments of China
and Japan.
14. Measures for enforcement and enactment of anti-discrimination
legislation were reported by Australia; China; Hong
Kong, China; India; Japan; the Philippines; Malaysia
and New Zealand. The Disability Discrimination Ordinance
in Hong Kong, China, enacted in 1995, is an exceptional
example. An independent statutory body, the Equal
Opportunities Commission, was established to protect
the rights of people with disabilities by enforcing
the Ordinance and persons with disabilities have
the right to have their grievances resolved in court.
15. Legislation should ensure the protection from
discrimination and enforcement of the rights of
persons with disabilities. A major constraint to
achieving that goal has been the failure of Governments
to establish strict mechanisms for the enforcement
of legislation and the application of penalties
for non-compliance.
C. Information
16. During the Decade many Governments have taken
action to collect data on disability. Nine Governments,
including China, India and the Cook Islands, reported
having developed a national disability database.
Five Governments reported planning towards developing
a national database. The inclusion of questions
on disability in the national census was reported
by a further eight Governments. Census data were
linked to other available national data in India
and the Philippines. Specific purpose databases
were common and covered many areas of disability
concerns. Data collection to facilitate the inclusion
of children with disabilities in education was cited
by Bangladesh, Micronesia (Federated States of),
Pakistan and Samoa. A Singapore database was focused
on an industrial profile and job opportunities for
people with disabilities. Five Governments established
databases to collect information on users of various
services available to people with disabilities.
In the Pacific island economies comprehensive (Cook
Islands) and specific (Samoa) disability surveys
were recently undertaken. Further surveys were planned
for Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon
Islands (2002-2003). Databases have been designed
with the capability for specific or wide and varied
use by governments, non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) and other disability partners.
17. Disability information was widely disseminated,
with increasing use of accessible web sites.
18. The Republic of Korea has been conducting national
surveys on disability every five years. Data collected
have allowed comparison of the status of persons
with disabilities with non-disabled persons on many
variables, including socio-economic status, unemployment
and access to computers. These findings have supported
policy changes to address the inequalities between
the two groups.
19. Adequate data are considered as most significant
for the development of policy and measures to review
and evaluate implementation and progress of efforts.
Yet, in many contexts in this region, data collected
do not reflect the full extent of disability, data
collection is not transparent and comparison of
data is rendered meaningless. These limitations
are caused in part by the conceptual framework adopted,
the scope and coverage of surveys undertaken and
the definitions, classifications and methodology
used. Thus, disability issues remain neglected.
It is also recognized that a common system of definition
and classification of disability is not applied
in the region. In this connection a wider use of
the International Classification of Functioning,
Disability and Health released by the World Health
Organization in May 2001 would be important.
D. Public awareness
20. Public awareness events on disability have
become more frequent, with multiple agencies taking
responsibility. Many Governments provide financial
support for public awareness activities. Hong Kong,
China has provided a special budget for celebrations
to mark the end of the Decade. Mongolia declared
2001 the “year of promotion of disabled persons”
and reported achieving remarkable results.
21. Sports activities, which traditionally receive
strong support, have been accompanied by an increasing
focus on the participation of people with disabilities
in cultural and artistic activities. The Government
of Malaysia reported hosting a culture and arts
festival in 2001. In Thailand the “Art For
All” project, which started in 1999, has become
an annual event, with renowned regional artists
participating with children and youth with disabilities
who receive a unique opportunity to develop their
talents.
22. Campaigns with a specific purpose to raise
awareness, educate the broader population or target
particular groups have addressed the issue of understanding
and accepting mental health problems, education
and prevention. For example, the Government of India
has recently started a pilot project to create awareness
of disability capabilities in 22 districts. It has
further introduced a module on disability concerns
in the national academies of administration for
civil servants. Such initiatives could be usefully
disseminated throughout the region.
23. Campaigns for the Asian and Pacific Decade
have had significant impact on increasing awareness
of disability in countries and areas where they
have been held. These include Japan (1993), the
Philippines (1994), Indonesia (1995), New Zealand
(1996), the Republic of Korea (1997), Hong Kong,
China (1998), Malaysia (1999), Thailand (2000) and
Viet Nam (2001). The final campaign will be held
at Osaka, Japan in October 2002.
E. Accessibility and communication
24. Among the most significant limitations faced
by people with disabilities are barriers to physical
environments and communication. Some progress has
been made in this area by a number of Governments.
Within the region, 24 Governments have passed or
are developing legislation and standards on accessible
environments and transport. Few have enforcement
mechanisms and compliance incentives. Progress towards
the achievement of accessible environments has been
reported by 19 Governments, with a significant level
of achievement in Australia; Hong Kong, China; Japan;
New Zealand and Singapore. Considerable progress
was reported in China, India, and Thailand. Progress
towards providing accessible transport systems is
advanced in Hong Kong, China and Japan. In the Pacific,
some progress has been made in Fiji. This issue
was recently included in professional training in
some national training institutions.
25. In terms of access to communication, wide use
of Braille and sign language was reported, with
popular usage and access by hearing people in China
and Thailand. National sign language dictionaries
were developed and in Thailand in 1999 sign language
was declared the national language of deaf people.
Interpreters of the deaf are widely available for
hire. Close captioning for deaf people and accessible
telephony are available on a very limited basis.
26. 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. Based
on information from a disability survey in the Republic
of Korea 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. It was reported as
an emerging concern in Hong Kong, China; Thailand
and Turkey, where free access to computers was made
available.
27. Access is clearly limited and not available
to the majority of people with disabilities living
in rural areas or urban poverty. This area merits
concerted development in the next decade.
28. The period of the Asian and Pacific Decade
has not resulted in accessible environments and
services throughout the region. Where related legislation
has been passed it is often not enforced. Further
significant commitment by Governments, in partnership
with the private sector, is essential to improve
the situation in this policy area.
F. Education
29. Lack of access to education for children and
youth with disabilities is one of the most important
issues facing Governments in the coming decade.
Failure to access education limits all options for
further development and is a contributing factor
to poverty. On the basis of a 1999 survey of 23
countries and areas in this region it was estimated
that only 2 to 5 per cent of children with disabilities
in developing countries had access to school.[1]
Lack of data on the number and prevalence of disabled
children make it impossible to measure the progress
or derive significance from the presentation of
raw numbers of those children who are accessing
educational services.
30. There is evidence that the situation is improving.
Legislation mandating education for all children
has been passed or was being planned by 20 Governments.
However, only seven respondents reported that children
with disabilities were included specifically in
national education for all plans. Twenty-two Governments
reported limited data collection in this area and
27 Governments provided funding support.
31. 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.
In China, compulsory education for all children
was mandated in 1993. Between 1992 and 2000 the
number of children and youth with disabilities in
school increased from 20 to 70 per cent. The Government
of India has introduced a scheme for the integrated
education of disabled children and the District
Primary Education Programme. It has integrated more
than 300,000 disabled children into mainstream schools.
Data on the percentage of children with disabilities
having access to education were not available. Progressive
education legislation was passed in Turkey in 1997,
mandating the right of disabled children to benefit
from early intervention, pre-school, elementary,
secondary and high school education in mainstreamed
services. The Lao People’s Democratic Republic
has been implementing an inclusive education programme
since 1993, when there was one school for disabled
children serving 25 children throughout the country.
In 2001 all provinces had some inclusive schools
and it is expected that by 2005 all 141 districts
will have at least 3 inclusive education schools.
32. Teacher training is a critical factor for the
provision of appropriate quality education and successful
outcomes for children with disabilities in both
separate and inclusive education. Eighteen respondents
reported the provision of training in special needs
techniques for regular school teachers, including
in Fiji since 1993. Distance education is widely
used in the Pacific subregion.
33. Access to mainstream post secondary education
and training in regular facilities is increasing
but limited.
34. Education for all by 2015, a goal of the Dakar
Framework for Action and one of the millennium development
goals, will not be achieved in the region without
increased commitment by Governments and civil society.
G. Training and employment
35. In view of the over-representation of people
with disabilities in available statistics on unemployment
and poverty, the serious attention paid by many
Governments of the region to training and employment
is timely and positive. Of 27 Governments who reported
vocational training services, 5 were in the early
stages of establishing such services. Nine respondents
reported moving towards integrated provision of
vocational training. In Hong Kong, China, more than
80 per cent of graduates from skill centres found
jobs in open employment in 2000. The quality and
relevance of training in separate vocational training
centres is a matter for critical concern, as is
the preparation of training personnel in separate
and integrated settings.
36. Many strategies have been adopted to promote
increased rates of employment of people with disabilities.
The implementation of a quota system was reported
by 12 countries. While many set this quota at 3
per cent, in India the requirement for local government
is 5 per cent, funded from the poverty alleviation
programme. Incentives and fines are widely used
for enforcement. Additional strategies include job
search agencies, employment placement and support
centres, wage subsidy, job coaching, trial employment
and industrial profiling. In Sri Lanka, an employer
network on disability has been formed. In the Islamic
Republic of Iran trade unions work with the Government.
37. Strategies to promote self employment and income
generation through small grant funding, microcredit
and loans were reportedly used in Bangladesh; India;
Macao, China; Thailand and Viet Nam, among others.
These Governments and others reported a specific
focus on the employment of people with disabilities
in rural areas. The Government of China reported
an increase in rural employment from 60 to 80 per
cent between 1992 and 2000. In Samoa a project has
just begun, focusing on integrated vocational training
and employment for youth with disabilities throughout
the country but particularly targeting rural areas.
In the Solomon Islands income generation is encouraged
as part of rural community-based rehabilitation
services.
38. Six Governments in the region have ratified
the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled
Persons) Convention, 1983, adopted by the International
Labour Organization. The Government of Japan has
begun employment promotion for people with severe
disabilities within the private sector and is investigating
the employment situation of women and girls with
disabilities.
H. Prevention of the causes of disability
39. Prevention strategies within overall health
programmes were reported by 25 respondents. Comprehensive
disability prevention programmes were implemented
in Bangladesh, China and India, among others. In
China, nationwide prevention strategies target urban,
rural and migrant communities and include the compulsory
availability of iodine to prevent the main cause
of intellectual disability in China. The Government
of Bangladesh has reported decreased infant mortality
and reduced incidence of disability as a result
of the extensive government expanded immunization
and integrated nutrition programmes, covering 80
per cent of the country. Health and family planning
education for girls and women and the training of
traditional birth attendants have contributed to
the positive outcome. Trained traditional birth
attendants are used on the outer islands of Kiribati
to prevent disability owing to injury at birth.
A focus on nutrition education was reported by the
Philippines, Sri Lanka and Viet Nam. In India, 50
of 100 planned district rehabilitation centres have
been established, with grass-roots workers trained
in the prevention of the causes of disability.
40. National surveys of children at risk have been
undertaken and early identification and intervention
services provided training and support to families
within urban and community-based frameworks in 23
countries and areas. These services are essential
to prevent secondary disabling conditions and to
provide support to family members who are the major
carers of young disabled children.
41. Prevention programmes included safety in the
workplace and the prevention of traffic accidents
and in some cases, injury owing to landmines. There
was limited reference to prevention of mental illness,
though it is increasingly recognized as a cause
of disability within the region. In 2001 the Government
of New Zealand released a strategy on the health
of older people with a view to supporting positive
aging and prevention of disability.
42. Prevention of the causes of disability, one
of the three priority objectives of the World Programme
of Action, has been addressed by many Governments
in the region. Continued effort is needed to reduce
further 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.
I. Rehabilitation
43. Rehabilitation services were reported by 26
respondents. Of these, 22 have established community-based
rehabilitation (CBR) approaches to rehabilitation.
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 disability
within their community. The Centre for Disability
in Development includes people with disabilities
in mainstream development using community approaches
to handicap and disability methodology. It focuses
on the needs of the communities as a whole and meets
these by integrating the needs of people with disabilities
in all community development issues. This model
has been disseminated nationally, subregionally
and regionally, and more recently in Europe.
44. Deliberate policy decisions have resulted in
extensive CBR service delivery in China, India,
Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. Rapidly
expanding services were reported in Thailand, Sri
Lanka, Solomon Islands and Viet Nam, with coverage
of the population estimated from 50 to 75 per cent.
‘Urban’ variations of CBR were reported
with the Community Rehabilitation Network developed
in Hong Kong, China.
45. Since the start of the Decade, the concept
of CBR has become more widely implemented within
the region and is increasingly applied as a strategy
that integrates the issues of disability within
a community development framework. CBR is predicated
on addressing disability as a community development
issue rather than a medical or welfare concern.
People with disabilities have increasingly taken
on roles of decision makers, key agents and leaders.
46. Many rehabilitation services in the region
are still urban and institution-based. They lack
consultative and participatory mechanisms which
would allow people with disabilities and their families
a role as partners in a problem-solving approach
to meeting their rehabilitation needs. Lack of services
in rural areas contributes to the large numbers
of rural-based persons with disability living in
poverty.
47. The extremely limited reference to support
for families of people with disabilities is of concern.
Given that many family members are affected by the
special support needs of their members with disabilities,
their service delivery needs require special attention.
J. Assistive devices
48. Some 20 Governments have reported the production
of assistive devices. The Government of China has
established a significant national network for providing
assistive devices and indigenous technology and
materials are widely used in their production. The
Government of India has established the Artificial
Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India, also using
indigenous technology and materials, and has extensive
and varied production and distribution sources throughout
the country. In the Philippines a task force on
the development of assistive devices has been developed.
Research centres have been established in Japan,
Singapore and Thailand. The Russian Federation has
more than 200 production factories and in Uzbekistan
3 production centres have been started with plans
to extend the number to 9 throughout the country.
A school of orthotics and prosthetics has been established
in Cambodia.
49. Grants or financial assistance are provided
for the purchase of devices. Standards have been
set in only four countries. A few Governments have
waived taxation on the import of assistive devices.
In spite of importation and extensive indigenous
production, Bangladesh has reported that it cannot
meet demand, a problem echoed by New Zealand, particularly
in relation to sophisticated equipment. Papua New
Guinea reported that maintenance and repair were
inadequate, difficult and costly.
50. The need for assistive devices in the region
is largely unmet. Failure by Governments to see
this provision as a priority obligation has left
millions of people with disabilities avoidably limited
in their capacity to participate equally and fully.
The situation is most severe in rural areas and
in small countries and territories of the Pacific
where donor provision is the only means of supply
and does not fully meet the need. Appropriate technologies
and local capacity need to be increased.
51. The critical situation that exists in such
an important area would suggest that subregional
and regional collaboration is urgently needed to
find solutions to this problem.
K. Self-help organizations
52. Twenty-two respondents reported that national
cross-disability organizations of people with disabilities,
or self-help organizations (SHOs) have been formed.
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.
Input by SHOs into national policy development was
reported by 17 Governments. Funding assistance to
strengthen and support the development of SHOs was
reported by 12 Governments. Leadership training
is provided to organizations of people with disabilities
in New Zealand and the Philippines. The Philippines
has developed a national forum of SHOs. These findings
suggest that Governments in the region are becoming
supportive of SHOs and value the role that they
play in advising Governments on disability concerns.
53. Some SHOs have developed without government
support, as in Kiribati and the Solomon Islands,
and influenced a change in negative attitudes. Lack
of coordination of many disparate and often single
disability groups have weakened the capacity of
SHOs to advocate their cause effectively. The trend
towards cross-disability representation of the interests
of people with disabilities is a positive development.
54. There is limited evidence of the extent to
which SHOs were operating at the grass-roots level.
They were reported to be actively encouraged in
Bangladesh, the Cook Islands and Fiji. In Indonesia,
Malaysia and Sri Lanka, among others, SHOs play
an important leadership role in community-based
services. In the Islamic Republic of Iran some organizations
providing vocational training of rural people with
disabilities have been transferred to SHOs. In a
number of small Pacific island economies organizations
have been formed of families with disabled members.
These organizations have advocated strongly and
successfully for appropriate education and other
issues of particular concern to them and their families.
55. Disabled Peoples’ International (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. The Oceania subregional office
of DPI was recently formed in 2000. This office
is providing support to many countries in the subregion,
in addition to advocating strongly to have disability
concerns placed on the agenda of subregional bodies
such as the Pacific Islands Forum. Coordination
of this nature is clearly beneficial to Governments
and people with disabilities.
56. Governments need to acknowledge persons with
disabilities and their organizations as partners
and consult them fully on all disability concerns
in national development. This situation of partnership
and consultation has not yet been achieved within
the region and progress towards it has been slow.
L. Regional cooperation
57. Evidence obtained from ESCAP review meetings
and the 2001 regional survey indicate active participation
and cooperation on the part of 34 Governments of
the region in regional events concerning the Asian
and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons. The level
and nature of participation varied according to
the national and regional context. However, involvement
at whatever level was viewed positively and appreciation
expressed for these opportunities. There was a desire
for these valuable exchanges and interactions to
be continued.
58. A number of Governments have contributed significantly
to regional collaboration by hosting a variety of
important meetings, workshops and seminars focusing
on disability-related concerns. These include China,
India, Republic of Korea and other Governments,
previously mentioned, who had hosted the annual
campaigns of the Asian and Pacific Decade. New Zealand
was the only host country from the Pacific subregion.
For various reasons such as distance, poor communication,
costs and language barriers, countries and areas
in North and Central Asia and the Pacific subregions
have had limited engagement with the Agenda for
Action. Recently, there has been more active engagement
with the ESCAP Pacific Operations Centre.
59. The Government of Japan has provided invaluable
support and generous contribution to the initiation,
implementation and overall success of the Asian
and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons. The multilateral
and bilateral assistance programmes it supports
has greatly benefited people with disabilities,
their families and organizations, other NGOs, Governments
of the region and United Nations agencies which
have been involved in pursuing the goals of the
Agenda for Action. This has included the construction
of facilities, provision of equipment, including
computers for blind students in Fiji, specialists
and volunteers, training and leadership programmes,
technical assistance in very diverse areas, support
to NGOs and particularly to developing SHOs in Asia
and in the Pacific subregion. This commitment to
the goal of full participation and equality of people
with disabilities has contributed immeasurably to
the achievements.
M. Gender dimension
60. Recommendations on the gender dimension of
the implementation of the Agenda for Action for
the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons
were adopted by the Meeting to Review the Progress
of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons,
1993-2002, held at Bangkok in June 1995. This Meeting
was organized in the same year that the Fourth World
Conference on Women was held at Beijing. Issues
concerning the situation of women with disabilities
have received minimal attention by the mainstream
gender movement. Nine Governments spontaneously
reported on this most neglected, marginalized and
hidden group of people with disabilities.
61. Gender-inclusive disability policy was 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 in Hanoi during Campaign 2001. In Fiji,
the women with disabilities group 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. Leadership
training activities for women with disabilities
have been undertaken by ESCAP and Disabled Peoples’
International in 2001-2002. This needs to continue
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
disability, mainstream advocacy groups and the wider
community.
62. Given that women with disabilities suffer doubly
from being women and 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.
II. LESSONS LEARNT AND PRIORITY AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT
63. The Agenda for Action for the Asian and Pacific
Decade of Disabled Persons has provided an important
impetus and guide to action for Governments of the
region in their pursuit of disability policy and
practice to achieve full participation and equality
of persons with disabilities. Governments which
have more recently signed the Proclamation have
emphasized the importance of maintaining the Agenda,
with its 12 policy areas and targets, to guide further
action beyond the end of the Decade. As countries
and areas in the region are at very different stages
of development, their levels of intervention in
disability concerns differ - some are beginning
to address emerging issues as development concerns,
others are still in the process of establishing
mechanisms for national coordination and find the
blueprint provided by the Agenda for Action invaluable.
64. The approach to disability issues has evolved
over the Decade. Strategies and solutions to problems
of discrimination have also needed to evolve. Increasingly,
disability concerns are more widely viewed as issues
of human rights and not just as a welfare issue.
This shift in approach is reflected in recent trends
of some Governments to address disability in a comprehensive
rather than a piecemeal manner. There are efforts
to mainstream disability issues in development,
to uphold the rights of persons with disabilities
by means of broad enforceable anti-discrimination
measures and to include disability issues in mainstream
service development. These include increasing attention
to accessible environments and communication systems,
universal design, inclusive education, integrated
training and employment schemes and community-based
support systems.
65. In order for persons with disabilities to participate
fully and become contributing citizens within their
societies, both persons with disabilities and Governments
need to reassess their roles, responsibilities and
reciprocal relationships. Governments need to see
SHOs as full partners in the process of policy development,
with full consultative status in all decision-making
concerning disability issues. In order to achieve
this, Governments can encourage the development
of SHOs and invest in capacity-building to enable
them to develop advocacy and leadership skills.
Their role needs to be formalized in national coordination
and national development mechanisms.
66. To achieve consultative status with Government
and have influence over policy-making, SHOs need
to address issues of representation within their
organizations. The current situation of multiple
organizations, some cross-disability and some single-disability,
needs to be resolved, as does the issue of equal
representation of women with disabilities, rural
persons with disabilities and the inclusion of currently
excluded groups such as those with intellectual,
psychiatric and multiple disabilities. A further
issue requiring resolution is the development of
a mechanism whereby organizations of families and
parents of children with disabilities are included
in consultative processes.
67. Increasingly the link between poverty and disability,
and the unmet needs of the majority of disabled
persons living in rural areas, is being recognized.
National coordination mechanisms, policy and implementation
agencies need to extend to the grass-roots level.
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 to reduce
the numbers of disabled persons living in poverty.
Recent World Bank estimates suggest that around
20 per cent of the world’s poorest persons
have disabilities.[2] Governments need to include
persons with disabilities in all poverty alleviation
measures and ensure that development and access
to basic services reach disabled persons in remote,
rural areas, and those living in urban poverty.
The low rates of access to appropriate education
for children with disabilities and the high rates
of unemployment for youth and adults with disabilities
both need urgent attention.
III. CONCLUSION
68. The theme and goal of the Decade is the promotion
of the full participation and equality of people
with disabilities in the Asian and Pacific region.
Available data and reports would suggest that this
goal has not been met but that significant progress
has been made towards its achievement. Progress
has been uneven, with some areas still requiring
critical attention. 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 to monitor progress towards the achievement
of full participation and equality. Lack of barrier-free
environments and equal access to information and
communications technology preclude the full participation
of all but a few disabled people in a limited number
of urban environments. With lack of access to education,
equality is denied to children and youth with disabilities
in the Asian and Pacific region. Excluded from education,
they are excluded from opportunity and development,
condemned to live in poverty, in what can become
a self-perpetuating, inter-generational cycle. There
is a need for significant further action within
the region to reverse this situation. Strengthening
of capacities of persons with disabilities and their
organizations, including women with disabilities,
is a priority if persons with disabilities are to
take responsibility for their own development, in
partnership with Governments and NGOs.
69. When recognizing some significant achievements
in many of the policy areas of the Agenda for Action,
it is necessary to guard against complacency. Of
the 57 countries and territories in the ESCAP region
referred to in the annex, 41 have signed the Proclamation
on the Full Participation and Equality of People
with Disabilities in the Asian and Pacific Region.
Of those Governments which have signed, not all
have taken significant steps to implement policies
towards the achievement of the Agenda. A number
of Governments have only recently signed the Proclamation
and are in early stages of implementation and engagement
in pursuing the goals of the Agenda for Action.
Lack of data makes it difficult to ascertain what
percentage of people with disabilities has had their
lives affected and their opportunities extended
by the activities of the Asian and Pacific Decade
of Disabled Persons. Clearly, further action is
needed to achieve full participation and equality.
70. By resolution 58/4, the Commission has proclaimed
the extension of the Asian and Pacific Decade of
Disabled Persons for another decade, 2003-2012,
with a view to giving further impetus to the implementation
of the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled
Persons and the Agenda for Action for the Asian
and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons in the ESCAP
region beyond 2002.
71. Commitment by the Governments of the region,
with full subregional and 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 achieved in our Asian and Pacific communities
by 2012. By the year 2012 let there be no further
need to address the goal of ‘reaching the
unreached’ in the Asian and Pacific region.
Let there be no ‘unreached’.
