A very outspoken and well-known disability rights activist, Eita Yashiro, a member of the House of Representatives in Japan, is to deliver the keynote speech on the first day of the Committee on Emerging Social Issues. A wheelchair user since 1973, when as a popular television personality he fell from a stage, Mr. Yashiro will contribute to the Committee’s effort to focus on socially vulnerable groups. He is one of the driving forces behind the all-out fight for a barrier-free and inclusive society for all, currently carried out at various levels through such mediums as the Biwako Millennium Framework, the second Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons (2003-2012), the forthcoming United Nations Convention for Human Rights for Persons with Disabilities…

Mr. Eita Yashiro

Given that the revitalized UNESCAP structure has placed poverty reduction as one of its foremost priorities, it is a good time to remember that this ongoing battle should be associated with the empowerment of disabled persons.

“I have been especially committed to disability issues, which have been my most important political challenge; if the persons with disabilities are happy, all the members of the society will be happy”, Mr. Yashiro says in a draft version of his keynote speech. He continues: “It is estimated that 400 million persons with disabilities live in the Asian and Pacific region. Among them, about 160 million are still suffering from severe poverty. Many persons with disabilities in this region are still desperately searching for help and wisdom, to be able to live with human dignity”.

“The challenge of the twenty-first century is to empower persons with disabilities who will then promote a barrier-free society. Four barriers that need to be addressed are the environment (architectural), information system and legislation, as well as human attitudes”, Mr. Yashiro stresses.

Mr. Yashiro is currently President of the Liberal Democratic Party in Tokyo and a member of the House of Representatives. He started his political career in 1977, first as a member of the House of Councillors until he won a House of Representatives seat in 1995.