Summaries of
- The Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons (1993 - 2002)
- Biwako Millennium Framework of Action (2003 - 2012)
APCD is the legacy of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons 1993-2002. The need to empower persons with disabilities and promote a barrier-free society became apparent as the Decade progressed. The 12 policy areas of the Decade were comprehensively reviewed at the BIWAKO Millenium Framework for Action in Otsu City, Japan, 25-28 October 2002 and 7 target areas and strategies for the new Decade were identified and addressed.
The Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons , 1993-2002
In April, 1992, Governments of the ESCAP region declared 1993-2003 the "Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, with the motto "Full Participation and Equality of Persons with Disabilities". Twelve policy areas of the Agenda for Action for the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002 included the following:
- National Coordination
- Legislation
- Information
- Public Awareness
- Accessibility and Communication
- Education
- Training and Employment
- Prevention of Causes of Disability
- Rehabilitation
- Assistive Devices
- Self- help Organizations
- Regional Cooperation
Throughout the Decade, a regional cooperation mechanism played an important role in coordinating regional actions in developing and monitoring the implementation of the Agenda for Action and the targets. The Regional Inter-agency Committee for Asia and the Pacific (RICAP) Subcommittee on Disability-related Concerns was expanded and strengthened in 1992 with 11 United Nations agencies, representatives of governments, service delivery and self-help non-governmental organizations (SHO) joining the Subcommittee. The Thematic Working Group on Disability-related Concerns (TWGDC) established in 2000 replaced the RICAP Subcommittee and continued to fulfill the goal of the Decade.
ESCAP played a major supportive role in the Decade. ESCAP focused on policy areas concerning national coordination, legislation, information, accessibility, assistive devices and self-help organizations of persons with disabilities. ESCAP's activities towards the 12 policy areas under the Agenda for Action include:
1. National Coordination: ESCAP assisted a number of Governments of regional countries during inter-country seminars and conferences on multisectoral collaboration for persons with disabilities. Technical assistance addressed critical issues faced by national coordination committees on disability (NCCD). A questionnaire survey was carried out in 1997 to assess the progress made in the establishment and strengthening of NCCD in the region.
2. Legislation: In 1995, ESCAP issued two companion publications as model frameworks of legislation to Governments in the region, (Legislation on Equal Opportunities and Full Participation in Development for Disabled Persons: Regional Review and Legislation on Equal Opportunities and Full Participation in Development for Disabled Persons: Examples from the ESCAP Region.)
3. Public Awareness: ESCAP supported regional campaigns that were organized by the Regional NGO Network to promote the Decade in collaboration with host governments and local NGOs. Campaign 2001 was considered the largest regional campaign adopting the Hanoi Declaration that urged Governments in the region to extend the Asian and Pacific Decade, 1993-2002 for another decade. The next regional campaign was held in Osaka, Japan in October 2002.
4. Information: Disability statistics are an important area of information. Two sub-regional workshops on disability statistics were organized in New Delhi, India and Shanghai, China. ESCAP developed a Decade homepage in 1997; http://www.unescap.org/decade providing links to disability-related workshops, information, resources, organizations, reports (especially TWGDC reports), and ESCAP's publications and activities.
5. Accessibility and Communication: ESCAP organized one of two flagship programs to represent this priority area, with one being the development and strengthening of self-help organizations. The first phase focused on the development of regional guidelines for the promotion of non-handicapping environments for persons with disabilities and older persons. In 1995, the guidelines covered planning and building design, access policy provisions and legislation, and the promotion of public awareness to improve access. Phase two focused on the activities and implementation of the guidelines at the municipal level using pilot projects in Bangkok, Beijing and New Delhi. These projects led Governments to examine policies focusing on accessibility for persons with disabilities and encouraging improvement on related regulations. ESCAP initiatives in access promotion contributed to the formation of a regional network of persons with disabilities, architects, and urban planners who participated actively in training government officials and promoting non-handicapping environments at every level of the countries.
6. Education: ESCAP supported the inclusion of children and youth with disabilities within the Education for All campaigns headed by UNESCO. Specific activities covered inclusive education seminars, a forum on the education of children and youth with disabilities and regional surveys on early intervention and education for all.
7. Training and Employment: ESCAP collaborated with the International Labour Organization (ILO) to strengthen employment placement services. Both organizations contributed to RICAP's training and employment activities within the region, including ESCAP's input to the Global Applied Disability Research and Information Network on employment opportunities for persons with disabilities through various technologies.
8+9. Prevention of Causes of Disability and Rehabilitation Services: ESCAP focused on Community-based Rehabilitation by developing activities, workshops and providing advisory and technical assistance on the subject.
10. Assistive Devices: ESCAP's activities resulted in a series of publications on the production and distribution of assistive devices for persons with disabilities.
11. Self-help organizations: The second of ESCAP's two flagship programs was the empowerment of people with disabilities through their self-help organizations (SHOs). In 1990, ESCAP collaborated with SHOs in the region to develop a set of guidelines on establishing and strengthening SHOs. Self-help Organizations of Disabled Persons was established in 1991 and was translated into five national languages and English Braille. Additional activities included sub-regional workshops on the management of SHOs resulting in the publication of Management of Self-help Organizations of People with Disabilities including regular technical and advisory services in support of SHOs.
12. Other Issues: During the Decade other issues related to disabilities were also addressed. Women with disabilities represented one major issue. ESCAP collaborated with UNIFEM and RICAP to develop a project promoting the advancement of women and girls with disabilities. This project led to a publication entitled "Hidden Sisters: Women and Girls with Disabilities in the Asian and Pacific Region". ESCAP organized a Regional Training Workshop on the Inclusion of Women and Girls with Disabilities in the Mainstream Gender Equality Initiatives collaborating with the Asia-Pacific Summit of Women Mayors and Councilors leading to the establishment of the Network of Women with Disabilities.
Poverty among persons with disabilities is also another main concern. ESCAP's activities were a Field Study-cum- Regional Seminar on Poverty Alleviation among Rural Persons with Disabilities held in Hyderabad, India in December 1999. This was one of the first seminars to present the issues of poor persons with disabilities in rural areas in the ESCAP region.
Funds for technical cooperation for the Decade were contributed by Governments, labour organizations and private companies which enabled ESCAP to promote inter-country cooperation and facilitate national and local implementation in the 12 areas of the Agenda for Action. The purpose of the funds was for personnel support for the secretariat's Decade promotion activities.
In order to review the progress of the implementation of the Agenda for Action, ESCAP organized regional meetings at various points during the Decade. The first review was held in 1995 in Bangkok, Thailand; the second one in 1997 in Seoul, Korea, and the third in 1999 in Bangkok, Thailand. The review culminated with the "High-level Intergovernmental Meeting to Conclude the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002" held in Otsu City, Japan in October , 2002.
]The New Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons
Biwako Millennium Framework for Action: Towards an Inclusive, Barrier-free and Rights-based Society for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific
In May 2002, ESCAP adopted Resolution 58/4 on "Promoting an inclusive, barrier-free and rights-based society for people with disabilities in the Asian and Pacific region in the twenty-first century". To effectively do so, ESCAP declared an extension of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002 for another decade, 2003- 2012.
"Biwako" comes from the largest freshwater lake ("Lake Biwa", "ko" means lake) located in Otsu city, Japan. "Millennium" indicates that the Framework is being adopted at the beginning of the new millennium and is also structured to supplement the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and targets. The "Biwako Millennium Framework" outlines priorities on issues, action plans, and strategies towards an inclusive, barrier-free and rights-based society for persons with disabilities in the Asian and Pacific region. An "inclusive society" is a society for all, "barrier-free society" refers to a society free from institutional, physical, and attitudinal barriers including social, economic and cultural barriers. "Rights-based society" means a society based on the human rights of all individuals where people with disabilities are also valued and placed at the center of all decisions and activities affecting them.
This framework identifies 7 priority areas for action, and strategies to support the achievement of all the targets. The new decade is a paradigm shift from a charity-based approach to a rights-based approach to protect the civil, cultural, economic, political, and social rights of persons with disabilities. To pursue the targets and strategies, consultations with and involvement of civil society, inter alia in this decade, self-help organizations and concerned NGOs are very important.
Priority areas of the Biwako Millennium Framework for Action are:
1) Self-help organizations of persons with disabilities and related family and parent associations (SHOs) Targets:
1) Government funding and NGO policies are to support SHOs by 2004.
2) Government and civil society should fully include persons with disabilities within the decision-making process.
Strategies:
- Increase the level of consultations with SHOs
- Set up a Government Policy review panel.
- Increase representation of persons with disabilities.
- Improve capacity- building.
- Engage persons with disabilities in rural areas.
- International agencies and NGOs should provide priority to SHOs.
2) Women with disabilities
Targets:
3) To create and provide anti-discrimination measures by 2005.
4) Self-help organizations' policies should encourage promoting women with disabilities by 2005.
5) Women with disabilities should be included in mainstream women's associations by 2005.
Strategies:
Promote equal access and non- discrimination. Increase public awareness and information. Engage representation of women with disabilities. Encourage training, leadership, self-help and capacity-building for women with disabilities.
3) Early detection, early intervention, and education
Targets:
6) By 2010 75% of children with disabilities should receive full primary education.
7) Children with disabilities should be integrated to MDG on primary education by 2015.
8) Early intervention should be provided to all children by 2012.
9) Ensure that early detection of children with disabilities is provided at a very early stage.
Strategies:
- Set up legislation to enforce Education for All.
- Set up policies, plans, and a budget for Education for All for children with disabilities.
- Data collection and target setting on related issues.
- Provide early detection and intervention services.
- Create accessible schools and school transport by 2012.
- Improve the quality of education for all children.
- Encourage regional cooperation.
4) Training and employment, including self-employment
Targets:
10) By 2012, 30% of the signatories should ratify the ILO Convention (No. 159), 1983 By 2012, 30% of vocational training programs should include persons with disabilities.
11) Reliable data on employment for persons with disabilities should be provided by 2010.
Strategies:
- Examine, ratify and implement the ILO Convention (No. 159), 1983
- Provide employer incentives and have the government as an employer model.
- Improve training capacity and access.
- Build social partnerships and increase funding.
- Support persons with disabilities in entrepreneurship and credit programs.
- Collect data and disseminate information
5) Accessibility: Environment and public transport
Targets:
12) Adopt and enforce accessibility standards.
13) Full accessible transport should be new and existing by 2012.
14) Promote inclusive design in loan/grant criteria.
Strategies:
- Exchange information on accessible environments.
- Promote inclusive design principles in professional education.
- Provide innovative techniques to enhance accessibility.
- Appraise mechanisms on standards.
- Include accessibility needs in rural and agricultural development programs.
- Create an access "officer post" at various levels.
- Encourage self-help organizations to present their needs collectively.
6) Access to information and communication, including information, communication and assistive technologies.
Targets:
15) Provide equal Internet access by 2005.
16) Develop international ICT standards and accessibility by 2004.
17) Develop national ICT standards and accessibility by 2005.
18) Develop a standardized sign language, finger Braille, etc.
19) Establish a proper system of employable sign language interpreters and Braille transcribers.
Strategies:
- Encourage Government laws, policies and programs.
- Set up ICT Accessible Unit in the government and encourage private companies to establish an equivalent unit.
- Encourage universal, open and non-proprietary standards.
- Develop standard character encoding and modeling.
- Support donor agencies to include ICT accessibility in award criteria.
- Establish a regional working group to develop ICT standards.
7) Poverty alleviation through capacity-building, social security and sustainable livelihood programs
Targets:
20) Halve the proportion of persons with disabilities living on less than $1/day (between 1990 and 2015).
Strategies:
- Include persons with disabilities in poverty alleviation programs.
- Provide data collection, poverty mapping, and funding.
- Develop mainstream disability issues.
- Build strategic alliances among stakeholders.
- Develop prevention and rehabilitation strategy.
- Organize self-help groups including consumer networks.
BMF full context at ESCAP web site
http://www.unescap.org
