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Asia-Pacific governments launch a new Decade of disability-inclusive development

His Excellency, Mr. Kim Hwang-sik, Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea, inaugurating the Ministerial segment of the High-level Intergovernmental Meeting on the Final Review of the Implementation of thevAsian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 2003-2012, on 1 November 2012, Icheon, Republic of Korea

Asia-Pacific countries meeting here today at the largest intergovernmental forum on disability-inclusive sustainable development, launched a new 10-year regional strategy to realize a disability-inclusive society.

Ministers from 18 countries and senior Government representatives from 37 nations, as well as civil society leaders from 47 organisations are attending the 29 October to 2 November "High-level Intergovernmental Meeting on the Final Review of the Implementation of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 2003-2012" convened by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and hosted by the Government of the Republic of Korea, to review milestones and discuss forward-looking policies for making societies more disability-inclusive.

The Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2013-2022 will consolidate and take forward the achievement of the first two Asian and Pacific Decades of Disabled Persons, aiming to accelerate realization of the rights of the estimated 650 million persons with disabilities in the region, the majority of them poor, disadvantaged and discriminated against.

Inaugurating the 1-2 November Ministerial segment of the Meeting, His Excellency, Mr. Kim Hwang-sik, Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea said: "In order to protect and ensure the inherent dignity and fundamental human rights of persons with disabilities, we need to engage every level of society from governments to businesses to persons with disabilities to persons with disabilities themselves."

Speaking at the opening, Mr. Shun-ichi Murata, Deputy Executive Secretary of ESCAP acknowledged the unique opportunity to chart the course of the new Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2013 to 2022: "There is much excitement and hope that we can move towards the vision of societies that promote, respect and uphold the rights of all persons with disabilities.

"The new Decade will give greater impetus to the drive for integration of disability perspectives into national, subregional and regional development agendas across Asia and the Pacific.

The launch of the new Decade was followed by a special ceremony to honour 10 "Asia-Pacific Champions of Disability Rights" who have devoted their lives to promote the rights of persons with disabilities.

Another key outcome of the Meeting is the expected adoption tomorrow by Asia-Pacific member States of the pioneering "Incheon Strategy" for implementing the new Decade.

While many Governments in the region have implemented policies and/or legal measures to protect the rights of persons with disabilities, more action is needed.

This includes improving access to the physical environment, education and livelihood opportunities, greater participation in decision-making, gender equality for women with disabilities, making disaster risk reduction disability-inclusive as well as accelerating adoption and implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which has been ratified by only 25 Asia-Pacific countries as of 10 October 2012.

The outcome of the Meeting will provide the Asia-Pacific perspective to the United Nations General Assembly "High-level Meeting on Disability and Development" to be convened in New York on 23 September 2013 to help shape the post-2015 global development agenda.

In supporting member States to achieve a disability-inclusive society, the use of reliable and comparable disability data should be at the heart of disability policy making, according to a United Nations report released here today.

With a focus on disability statistics, Disability at a Glance 2012: Strengthening the evidence base in Asia and the Pacific published by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the report provides a regional overview of disability policies and practices based on data and information from around 50 countries.

The United Nations estimates disability prevalence to be 15% of the total population worldwide. In the Asia-Pacific region, this corresponds to 650 million persons with disabilities. One of the main findings of the report is that these figures stand in stark contrast to those reported by the majority of countries in the Asia-Pacific region, resulting in a 4.6% prevalence average, or 200 million persons with disabilities. This difference represents a gap of 450 million persons with disabilities. The report also reveals an enormous regional spread in reported country-specific prevalence, ranging from 1 to 18.5%.

Addressing these disparities, the report highlights the complexity of interpreting disability data and explains how different approaches to defining, measuring and collecting disability data generate these very different outcomes. It points out, however, that these country differences are by no means a reflection of cross-country differences in development levels.

Recognizing the progress seen in terms of availability of disability statistics and the development of national disability policies and action plans, the report emphasizes the need for more and better data to inform the design, implementation and evaluation of effective policy and programme responses.

Additionally, the report notes that older persons in some countries will make up 70 to 80% of all persons with disabilities by 2050, requiring a comprehensive social policy approach and forward-looking policies that simultaneously address both ageing and disability-related concerns.

"Sustainability of economic and social development depends on building inclusive societies that address the needs of all groups, including persons with diverse disabilities, who are currently marginalized from the region’s development process," says the report.

The report was launched during the "High-level Intergovernmental Meeting on the Final Review of the Implementation of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 2003-2012" organized by ESCAP and hosted by the Government of the Republic of Korea in Incheon from 29 October to 2 November.

The findings in the report will support evidence-informed policymaking by Asia-Pacific Governments towards implementing the agenda of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2013-2022 to be launched here tomorrow and proper implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Additional Information

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Website: http://www.unescap.org/news/asia-pacific-governments-launch-new-decade-disability-inclusive-development
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Source: UNESCAP
When: 17/11/2012

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