Committee on Social Development
(second session)

Bangkok, 19 to 21 October 2010

Report of the Committee on Social Development on its second session[PDF] [DOC] E/ESCAP/CSD(2)/6

The second session of the Committee on Social Development, convened at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok from 19 to 21 October 2010, focused specifically on “Mainstreaming disability into the regional development agenda in Asia and the Pacific”. Among other key recommendations adopted by the 23 Governments from the region taking part in the session, the Committee strongly supported the proclamation of a new decade to promote the rights of persons with disabilities for the period 2013-2022.

As a subsidiary body of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the Committee on Social Development is the main intergovernmental legislative forum that shapes the Asia-Pacific agenda on social development. It meets biennially.

In addition to the special thematic focus on the issue of disability of this second session, the Committee reviewed regional trends and emerging issues in the field of social development, including social protection.

Areas covered included:

• Recent efforts by Governments and the United Nations system to mainstream disability into Millennium Development Goals monitoring processes;
• Status of the adoption and implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Asia-Pacific;
• Preparatory process for the High-level Intergovernmental Meeting on the Final Review of the Implementation of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 2003-2012; and
• Short- and long-term focuses of the work of ESCAP in the area of social development.

A highlight at the Committee session was the launch of the “Make the Right Real” Campaign (insert link to closing press release) to accelerate implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the Asian and Pacific region.

At the closure of the session, the Committee issued several recommendations or matters calling for action by the Commission, available from this Report.

See related ESCAP press releases:

• Media Advisory: “Committee on Social Development to Break New Ground on Advancing the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Asia-Pacific” [PDF] [DOC]
• Closing press release: “UN meeting Creates the ‘Right’ Effect” [PDF] [DOC]