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Asia-Pacific commits to disability inclusion
Senior Asia-Pacific leaders have renewed their countries' commitment to implementing disability-inclusive development from the grassroots up over the coming decade.
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he conclusion of the High-Level Intergovernmental Meeting on the Final Review of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities (HLIGM-FRPD) on Friday saw the adoption of the Jakarta Declaration that outlines a decade of actions to fulfill the rights of disabled persons.
Delegates from 53 member states and nine associate members attended the three-day hybrid meeting hosted by Indonesia and organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). Representatives from several observer states, other UN agencies and civil society organizations also participated in
The Jakarta Declaration contains 17 paragraphs and is expected to reaffirm the Incheon Strategy that ESCAP member states agreed 10 years ago.
The Incheon Strategy to “Make the Right Real” consists of 10 disability-specific development goals with 27 targets and 62 indicators to track progress of improvements in the quality of life and fulfillment of the rights of persons with disabilities in the Asia and Pacific.
Indonesian Social Affairs Minister Tri “Risma” Rismaharini, who chaired the high-level meeting, said on Friday that the Jakarta Declaration had been adopted with very few technical issues. She also noted that the majority of member states had shown progress toward full inclusion of disabled persons.
“Yet, there is still room for improvement. Therefore, the hard work on disability-sensitive development should continue and be advanced in the next decade,” Risma said.
The declaration contains six resolutions for ESCAP member states to implement. Among them are: to harmonize national legislations with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), promote meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in planning and making policies, as well as promote universally designed accessibility of goods and services in line with international standards.
It also pushes to “galvanize the power of the private sector [...] to advance disability-inclusive development”, “promote a gender-responsive life cycle approach to disability inclusive programs and policies, and “close the disability data gap” and use big data to monitor progress at all administrative levels.
‘Do our part’
Risma urged all participants to continue to cooperate and take the necessary steps in implementing the meeting’s recommendations.
“On behalf of the government of Indonesia, I can make assurances that we will also do our part,” she added
The minister added that of the Jakarta Declaration’s six resolutions, one priority issue was to harmonize national laws so they were more in line with the convention on disability rights.
Indonesia has ratified the CRPD through Law No. 19/2011 and Law No. 8/2016 on persons with disabilities.
However, Risma noted that harmonizing the country’s regulations was a challenge, as Indonesia had up to three administrative levels: the central, provincial and finally, the regental or municipal.
“Because of the three layers of our government, [harmonizing laws] is my toughest task. It will not be easy, but we have to keep trying,” she said.
‘Make the right real’
Maldives Minister of Gender, Family and Social Services Aishath Mohamed Didi, who also attended the meeting, welcomed the Jakarta Declaration, calling it “an extremely hopeful declaration”.
“Our hope is that through UNESCAP, as Asia and Pacific countries we will be working in the next decade to catch up and bring huge changes for people with disabilities,” he said.
Meanwhile, UNESCAP executive secretary Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana said in her closing remarks that the high-level meeting had seen innovative approaches to implementing disability inclusion from governments, disability organizations and other groups.
“Although we have made commendable progress, we have not yet fulfilled our promise to ‘Make the Right Real’,” said Armida, Indonesia’s former national development planning minister, referring to the Incheon Strategy. She added that persons with disabilities in the Asia-Pacific region still faced barriers to their participation in employment, education and decision-making, as well as other aspects of life.
“ESCAP stands ready to support the implementation of both the Incheon Strategy and the Jakarta Declaration, and to integrate disability inclusion into national mechanisms to fulfill the 2030 agenda for the Sustainable Development Goals,” she stressed.
