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Delivered by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana

21 October 2022

ESCAP ES

Excellencies, distinguished Chair, distinguished delegates, 

Over the past three days, we have celebrated the progress made under the guidance of the Incheon Strategy to “Make the Right Real” for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific.  We have heard of the innovative approaches to disability-inclusion being implemented by governments, organizations of persons with disabilities and others.

Key to realizing all of these achievements were the partnerships between Governments, the private sector, organizations of persons with disabilities, subregional organizations and United Nations entities.

Although we have made commendable progress, we have not yet fulfilled our promise to “Make the Right Real.” Persons with disabilities in the region continue to face barriers that limit their participation in employment, education, decision-making and many other aspects of daily life.

In adopting the Jakarta Declaration on the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2023-2032, governments have reaffirmed their commitment to disability-inclusive development. 

With this renewed pledge, let us invest the required resources to ensure we achieve the 10 Incheon Strategy goals during the new Decade. With the Sustainable Development Goals as our guide, we can spur progress on both sets of objectives and fulfil our commitment to “leave no one behind.”

ESCAP stands ready to support implementation of both the Incheon Strategy and Jakarta Declaration and to integrate disability inclusion into national mechanisms to fulfill the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

Moving forward, let us strengthen existing partnerships and cultivate new ones amongst organizations of persons with disabilities, the private sector, United Nations entities and others to create a whole-of-society approach. Persons with disabilities must meaningfully participate in all disability-related policies and programmes, in line with the spirit of “nothing about us without us.”

Excellencies,

In closing, I would like to thank all participants for your contributions to make this meeting a success. I would like to thank the Chair and Vice-Chairs, as well as the Facilitator of the informal consultations of the outcome document, for so adeptly guiding us through the preparations and proceedings.

Thank you to all the members and associate members of the Commission for your active participation and attendance.

I would also like to express my gratitude to the roundtable moderators and speakers for sharing their insights and expertise with us.

The success of this Meeting would not have been possible without the participation of the representatives of organizations of persons with disabilities and the ESCAP Decade Champions and Promoters. Thank you for your commitment and support.

Finally, I wish to express my heart-felt gratitude to the Government of Indonesia for hosting this important High-Level Intergovernmental Meeting, and deep appreciation to the colleagues from the Ministry of Social Affairs and the ESCAP secretariat for their hard work in co-organizing the meeting.

I look forward to working together with all governments and stakeholders in the coming decade to “Make the Right Real” for persons with disabilities in Asia and the Pacific.

Thank you.

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