United Nations
ESCAP/APDDP/2022/INF/1

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Economic and Social Council

Distr.: General

3 October 2022

English only

Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

High-level Intergovernmental Meeting on the Final Review of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2013–2022

Jakarta and online, 19–21 October 2022

Items 2 and 3 of the provisional agenda*

Review of progress and challenges in the implementation of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2013–2022, and the Incheon Strategy to “Make the Right Real” for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific

Forward-looking policies and strategies for disability-inclusive development in Asia and the Pacific during the period to 2030, focusing on key and emerging regional issues and opportunities

Disability-inclusive development in Asia and the Pacific and the path to 2030: perspectives of persons with disabilities and civil society organizations**

Summary

Members and associate members of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) have been leaders in promoting disability-inclusive development for the past 30 years, including through the declaration of three consecutive Asian and Pacific Decades of Persons with Disabilities. As the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2013-2022, concludes, ESCAP members and associate members, organizations of persons with disabilities and other stakeholders are taking stock of the implementation of the Decade and charting a path forward for the coming decade, in alignment with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The present report contains a summary of achievements, challenges and priorities for disability-inclusive development recommended by civil society organizations, in particular, organizations of persons with disabilities in the Asia‑Pacific region. The report draws upon, among others, survey responses provided by civil society organizations on the final review of the implementation of the Decade and stakeholder consultations involving civil society organizations, especially organizations of persons with disabilities, from across the region.

Despite significant progress made towards the inclusion of persons with disabilities, barriers and challenges remain, particularly regarding the full and meaningful participation of persons with disabilities and their representative organizations in development agendas and decision-making at all levels.

The present document serves to inform deliberations during the High-level Intergovernmental Meeting on the Final Review of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2013-2022

I. Introduction

Asia and the Pacific is home to more than 700 million persons with disabilities who face significant barriers to full and effective participation in society.¹ The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) members and associate members proclaimed a regional decade focusing on disability-inclusive development, in follow-up to the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons, 1983-1992. During the first two Asian and Pacific Decades of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002 and 2003-2012, ESCAP contributed to the paradigm shift towards viewing persons with disabilities as rights holders and also facilitated discussions that contributed to the formulation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

In the third Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2013-2022, ESCAP members and associate members adopted and implemented the Incheon Strategy to “Make the Right Real” for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific, which comprised the world’s first set of disability-specific development goals. Further, the Beijing Declaration, including the Action Plan to Accelerate the Implementation of the Incheon Strategy was adopted in 2017 to provide strategic guidance on disability‑inclusive development, in connection with the goals of the Incheon Strategy.

The full and effective participation and inclusion of persons with disabilities in society is one of the principles of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Incheon Strategy further underscores as one of its policy directions that “national, subnational and local policies and programmes are based on plans that are explicitly inclusive of persons with disabilities and that also prioritize the active participation of persons with disabilities, through their representative organizations, in relevant decision‑making processes”. Incheon Strategy Goal 2 is dedicated to promoting the participation of persons with disabilities in political processes and decision-making. Incheon Strategy Goal 10 acknowledges the important role of civil society organizations in catalysing innovative approaches to achieving Incheon Strategy goals and targets.

As ESCAP members and associate members assess the progress made as part of the final review of the Asian-Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2013-2022 and chart the way forward for a new phase of disability-inclusive development, there is a critical need to solicit and rely on the expert knowledge, experience and perspective of persons with disabilities and their representative organizations. As part of the final review process, ESCAP conducted a survey and convened a series of consultations involving mainly organizations of persons with disabilities and other civil society organizations working with and for persons with disabilities from across the Asia-Pacific region. The survey aimed to gather information on the overall progress made and key actions taken by civil society organizations towards realizing disability rights and inclusion in line with the Incheon Strategy goals, as well as the perspectives of civil society organizations on main challenges and future priorities for disability-inclusive development in the Asia-Pacific region. ESCAP also convened an expert group meeting in June 2022 and a stakeholder consultation in July 2022 to solicit expert inputs from members of the Working Group on the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2013-2022 and the broader community of organizations of persons with disabilities and other civil society organizations from across the region.

This paper presents a summary of the findings from the survey and stakeholder consultations and reflects upon key achievements, challenges and priorities for disability-inclusive development from the perspectives of civil society organizations.

II. Summary of civil society organization survey findings

A. Priorities, achievements and challenges from the perspectives of civil society organizations

A total of 24 civil society organizations, including 15 working at the national level, 2 at the subregional level and 7 at the regional level, participated in the survey. Among the respondents, 23 are organizations of or for persons with disabilities and one is a civil society organization that works in the field of humanitarian disaster preparedness and response and has a strategic framework to mainstream disability inclusion in their work.

The top five priorities addressed by responding civil society organizations in their work over the past Decade from 2013 to 2022 included disability rights advocacy (66.7 per cent); access to knowledge, information and communication (62.5 per cent); work and employment (58.3 per cent); quality education (54.2 per cent); and subregional, regional and international cooperation (50.0 per cent).

Civil society organizations’ investments in these priority areas yielded positive returns. The five most important achievements reported by organizations during the same period were in relation to disability advocacy, noted by 45.8 per cent of responding civil society organizations, followed by contribution to the development of disability laws, policies and strategies (41.7 per cent); work and employment (29.2 per cent); access to knowledge, information and communication (29.2 per cent); and quality education (29.2 per cent).

One of the biggest challenges faced by civil society organizations during the past Decade was inadequate resources, reported by 62.5 per cent of responding civil society organizations, followed by limited institutional capacity (29.2 per cent); the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic (20.8 per cent); and limited disability mainstreaming and coordination within governments and between governments and organizations of persons with disabilities (20.8 per cent).

Looking ahead, the priorities for action identified by civil society organizations for the upcoming period from 2023 towards 2030, are access to knowledge, information and communication noted by 62.5 per cent of the responding civil society organizations, followed by work and employment (58.3 per cent), disability rights advocacy (50.0 per cent), social protection (45.8 per cent), and non-discrimination under the law and access to justice (45.8 per cent).

The top three thematic areas identified for increased attention of civil society organizations were non-discrimination under the law and access to justice (from 33.3 per cent for the period 2013-2022 to 45.8 per cent for the period 2023-2030), social protection (from 37.5 per cent to 45.8 per cent) and political participation and decision-making (from 29.2 per cent to 37.5 per cent).

Figure I : Priorities for action by 24 civil society organizations working in disability-inclusive development

Source: ESCAP analysis based on responses to the survey on civil society organizations.

The future priorities for disability-inclusive development identified by responding civil society organizations are aligned closely with those identified by the Governments participating in the ESCAP government survey on the final review of the Decade. Both civil society organizations and Governments identified access to knowledge, information and communication (by 62.5 per cent of civil society organizations and 62.1 per cent of governments); work and employment (by 58.3 per cent of civil society organizations and 79.3 per cent of governments); and social protection (by 45.8 per cent of civil society organizations and 48.3 per cent of governments) as pressing priorities in the coming years for accelerating disability-inclusive development in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.²

B. Civil society organizations’ actions to address the impacts of COVID-19 on persons with disabilities

Civil society organizations have taken various measures to protect and empower persons with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The most commonly undertaken measure was consultations with persons with disabilities in developing COVID-19 responses, noted by 71.4 per cent of responding civil society organizations, followed by disability inclusion in COVID-19-related plans, strategies and/or guidelines (66.7 per cent); awareness raising to uphold the rights of persons with disabilities amid the pandemic (61.9 per cent); partnerships with organizations of persons with disabilities in the delivery of services for persons with disabilities (52.4 per cent); provision of in-kind support to persons with disabilities (50.0 per cent); and promoting recruitment and employment of persons with disabilities during the pandemic (50.0 per cent).

Civil society organizations also advocated that the respective authorities undertake the above-mentioned measures as well as others such as support for service providers and personal assistants to ensure continued delivery of goods and services for persons with disabilities. Civil society organizations’ advocacy yielded some encouraging changes in the COVID-19 response measures undertaken by national and/or local authorities. For instance, in response to advocacy by organizations of persons with disabilities working closely with the Government of India, clear national guidelines were issued for COVID-19 responses to effectively include persons with disabilities. Organizations of persons with disabilities in Japan, India, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea and Lao People’s Democratic Republic have advocated for the inclusion and prioritization of diverse groups of persons with disabilities and their personal assistants in vaccination programmes and other COVID-19 response services, including making these programmes and services accessible, which achieved positive results. Organizations of persons with disabilities in Bangladesh, Malaysia and the Republic of Korea also ran programmes and advocacy activities to support persons with disabilities to maintain livelihoods and employment during the pandemic.

III. Outcomes of stakeholder consultations

ESCAP convened a stakeholder consultation from 25 to 26 July 2022 to facilitate and expand collaboration with and participation of organizations of persons with disabilities and other civil society organizations working with and for persons with disabilities in the final review process. The consultations elicited stakeholder experiences, views and recommendations on new strategic directions and priorities for disability-inclusive development in Asia and the Pacific and on strategies and approaches to more effectively engage persons with disabilities in this process. The stakeholder consultation was co-designed and co-hosted by ESCAP and the 15 civil society organization members of the Working Group on the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2013-2022. A total of 81 representatives of organizations of persons with disabilities and other civil society organizations from 18 countries and territories in Asia and the Pacific participated in the stakeholder consultation, representing the voices and views of persons with disabilities at the regional, sub-regional, national and local levels.

A. Reflections on changes, challenges and key issues that require attention in the engagement of persons with disabilities

Participants highlighted the success of the slogan “Make the Right Real”, first coined during the review in Incheon, to stimulate debates and raise awareness of the rights of persons with disabilities. The passing of disability-inclusive and rights-based policies and legislation and the development of national strategic action plans, including those focused on diverse types of disability, in a number of countries in the past Decade were considered critical steps towards fulfilling this slogan.

Participants noted a number of major positive changes in the past Decade that enabled more effective engagement of persons with disabilities through organizations of persons with disabilities , namely (a) the increase in funding and resources to support the work of organizations of persons with disabilities despite persisting funding gaps; (b) the improved perception of the capacity of persons with disabilities, including women with disabilities, in decision-making and leadership positions; (c) advancements of accessibility, including the increased application of universal design and large-scale accessibility audits; (d) the growth of early intervention services and accessibility of education facilities; (e) accessibility of information and communication technologies; and (f) the adoption of subregional frameworks including the ASEAN Enabling Masterplan 2025: Mainstreaming the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Pacific Framework for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: 2016-2025, as well as global resolutions concerning the needs of persons with autism spectrum and developmental disorders.

Participants drew attention to a range of remaining challenges that impeded the effective engagement of persons with disabilities and organizations of persons with disabilities. These key challenges included (a) the particular barriers to participation in decision-making processes faced by certain groups of persons with disabilities, including persons with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities, persons with multiple disabilities, women, older persons and those living in care institutions and in rural areas; (b) the scarce opportunities for persons with disabilities and organizations of persons with disabilities to be appointed or included as decision makers rather than merely informants or input providers; (c) the lack of recognition and support to care partners and personal assistants of persons with disabilities; (d) the need for better collaboration and cooperation among organizations of persons with disabilities in some subregions and among those working on different focused groups of persons with disabilities; (e) the gap between disability-related policy and implementation, including the lack of complaint mechanisms for failures to comply with non-discrimination policies; (f) the continued lack of funding and capacities of organizations of persons with disabilities, as well as; (g) the lack of quality disability data disaggregated by sex and age. Participants also noted areas where the engagement of persons with disabilities in planning was particularly weak including politics, employment, education, and disaster risk reduction.

B. Strategic priorities to strengthen the engagement of and partnerships with persons with disabilities and organizations of persons with disabilities

Participants acknowledged the contribution of the Working Group on the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2013-2022, which was composed of an equal number of Government and civil society organization members, as an effective mechanism of engagement and partnership between Governments and organizations of persons with disabilities at the regional level and recommended to create regional communities of practice in the forthcoming decade. Participants further recommended that theme-based sub-working groups or networks could be established to bring together concerned stakeholders and lead the advisory work in respective thematic areas. Similarly, participants also shared good practices of establishing working groups at the national level to advise and assist national and local governments in developing disability-focused government entities and plans.

Participants also highlighted the need to move away from the notion of mere representation and consultation to that of co-designing and co‑implementing policies and programmes with persons with disabilities, including disability-specific and mainstream policy and budget planning processes. In this connection, the provision of financial, in-kind and human resources support to improve the capacities of organizations of persons with disabilities at different levels to meaningfully participate in decision-making processes was considered a strategic priority.

Participants emphasized the importance of paying special attention to and focusing on supporting the participation of groups of persons with certain forms of disabilities who were often overlooked, noting that persons with disabilities were not a homogenous group and the types of impairment and experiences of disability varied.

Participants also noted the need to capitalize on emerging contexts in relation to digital accessibility, inclusive education throughout the life cycle and disability-inclusive social protection to support recovery from the COVID‑19 pandemic, through engaging Governments, the private sector and civil society organizations.

C. Recommendations for action

Based upon reflections on key changes, challenges and strategic priorities for strengthened engagement of persons with disabilities, participants presented a range of recommendations for action by Governments, ESCAP and organizations of persons with disabilities, respectively.

Recommendations for Governments included:

Harmonize national laws with international standards, as relevant, and ensure the implementation of existing laws, especially those related to the participation of persons with disabilities in employment, politics and education as well as other sectors, with particular attention to the accessibility of government services;

Support partnerships with persons with disabilities and organizations of persons with disabilities in all sectors of the government, applying a co-design approach to enable meaningful participation in the design, implementation decisions and monitoring of policies and legislations, as well as in development projects;

Earmark funding in national budgets and budgets across sectors to support capacity building of organizations of persons with disabilities and their participation in decision-making and policy implementation processes;

Explore the possibility of including accessibility and inclusive employment criteria in environmental, social and governance (ESG) guidelines;

Continue to promote universal design-based accessibility in the built environment, transportation, and information and communication technologies and apply universal design for inclusive learning and education at all levels;

Collect and use sex, age and disability-disaggregated data to monitor the targeting and utilization efficiency of resources for persons with disabilities, particularly those living in rural, indigenous and poor communities;

Design disability-inclusive social protection schemes and systems to address multidimensional poverty of persons with disabilities and their families;

Account for the growth of the number of persons with disabilities as a result of the rapid population ageing in the region, long-lasting effects of COVID-19 and increased frequency of natural disasters when planning for national policies and development plans;

Civil society organizations also recommended that ESCAP members and associate members should proclaim a new Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities and to continue the use of the slogan “Make the Right Real” to capitalize on its advocacy legacy.

Recommendations for the ESCAP secretariat included the following:

(a) Provide more opportunities for organizations of persons with disabilities to have substantial representation in United Nations initiatives and activities across the region, including in both disability-specific and non-disability-specific activities;

(b) Facilitate communities of practice focusing on various themes for accelerating disability inclusion in the coming decade;

(c) Advocate to member States to introduce transformative disability inclusion strategies, engaging organizations of persons with disabilities, and transforming from “Nothing about us without us” to “Nothing without us”;

(d) Provide technical support to Governments and organizations of persons with disabilities in the abovementioned actions recommended for Governments.

Recommendations for civil society organizations included:

Strengthen technical capacities of engaging in research, monitoring and evaluation to garner greater impact in partnerships with Governments and the private sector;

Promote leadership of the younger generations of persons with disabilities and organizations of persons with disabilities and build their capacities to work with Governments, the private sector and other stakeholders;

Engage in theme-based coalitions at the community, local, national, subregional and regional levels to promote disability mainstreaming;

Strengthen the role of national umbrella organizations of persons with disabilities to serve as think tanks and monitors of disability rights;

Collaborate with other networks of organizations with shared interests such as those working on human rights, older persons, healthcare, social protection and environmental, social and governance (ESG);

Strengthen sub-regional and regional cooperation among organizations of persons with disabilities to facilitate sharing of good practices.

IV. Recommendations on the meaningful representation of persons with disabilities at the High-level Intergovernmental Meeting

In view of the importance of the representation and meaningful participation of persons with disabilities at the High-level Intergovernmental Meeting on the Final Review of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2013-2022, to be held in Jakarta and online from 19 to 21 October 2022, the following actions were recommended:

The ASEAN Disability Forum, in partnership with Indonesia‑based organizations of persons with disabilities and the Pacific Disability Forum, will convene further consultation among organizations of persons with disabilities in the region before the High-level Intergovernmental Meeting, to consolidate the perspectives and insights of organizations of persons with disabilities to be conveyed at the High-level Intergovernmental Meeting in a coordinated manner;

The civil society organization steering group, through the abovementioned consultation will nominate a civil society organization representative to deliver a joint statement at the opening of the High-level Intergovernmental Meeting;

The High-level Intergovernmental Meeting may address the following issues in the roundtable discussions: the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, inclusive climate action, South-South cooperation and innovation;

The High-level Intergovernmental Meeting needs to bring voices of persons with disabilities, especially those who are often overlooked, into its agenda items as well as side events;

Governments should be encouraged to include persons with diverse disabilities in their national delegations to the High-level Intergovernmental Meeting, with consideration of rural-urban, gender, ethnicity and other intersectional identities.

_________________

* ESCAP/APDDP/2022/L.1. ↩︎

** The present document is being issued without formal editing. ↩︎

The figure was calculated as 15 per cent of the ESCAP estimated regional population at mid-year 2021. See World Health Organization (WHO), World Report on Disability (Geneva, 2011); ESCAP, “2021 ESCAP population data sheet”, available at www.unescap.org/sites/default/d8files/knowledge-products/Pop_data_sheet2021_20211230.pdf. ↩︎

Data on Government responses to the ESCAP government survey are drawn from ESCAP/APDDP/2022/1. ↩︎