Bangkok Press Briefing Ahead of Otsu Meeting

More Action Planned to Help Persons With Disabilities

BANGKOK (United Nations Information Services) -- The barriers are coming down for persons with disabilities in Asia and Pacific, but there is still much work to do as the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons draws to a close.

More than 300 representatives from governments, NGO's and United Nations agencies are expected to attend a meeting in Otsu, Japan from 25 - 28 October 2002 to officially conclude the Decade.

This meeting of high-level officials will review the achievements of the last ten years, which includes a growing awareness among governments and the general public of the special challenges faced by persons with disabilities and the inherent rights they hold as contributors to society.

To brief Bangkok-side media about the issues to be discussed in Japan, H.E. Mr Atsushi Tokinoya, the Ambassador of Japan and Executive Secretary of UNESCAP Kim Hak-Su and senior UNESCAP officials will brief the press on Monday, 21st October at the United Nations Conference Centre, UNCC at 10.30 a.m. refreshments will be served.

Approximately two-thirds of the world's 600 million persons with disabilities live in the Asian and the Pacific region. Roughly 160 million of them live below the poverty line.
Many continue to face institutional, environmental and social discrimination and barriers in this region. Women with disabilities are often the worst affected.

A new decade is expected to be dedicated to continue the improvements in awareness with the theme "Towards an Inclusive, Barrier-free and Rights-based Society for Persons with Disabilities".

Mr. Kim and Mr. Yoshitsugu Kunimatsu, Governor of Shiga Prefecture, will make welcoming statements in Japan. A senior dignitary of the Government of Japan will inaugurate the meeting. Among the other speakers will be Senator Eita Yashiro, the only wheelchair parliamentarian in Japan. Mr. Satoshi Fukushima, Associate Professor at Tokyo University, will make the keynote address. He cannot see nor hear and uses "Finger Braille" to communicate. This was a method invented by his mother.

For more information, please check the website: http://www.unescap.org/decade

For more information, please contact:

Mr. David Lazarus, Chief, United Nations Information Services
UN Building, Rajadamnern Nok Avenue, Bangkok 10200, Thailand
Tel: 02 288 1864-9
E-mail: unisbkk.unescap@un.org

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