“Empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality” was the theme topic of the 75th regular session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) held at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok from 27 to 31 May 2019. The same theme will be on table of the upcoming High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development to be convened under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council, in New York from 9 to 18 July 2019.
The full annual report (ESCAP/75/35) and account of proceedings (ESCAP/75/36) of the session will be released soon and can be accessed from: https://www.unescap.org/commission/75/documents .
A theme study report “Closing the Gap: Empowerment and inclusion in Asia and the Pacific” prepared by the ESCAP secretariat was presented to the session. The report measures recent progress towards equality in three key outcomes: education, full-time employment and income. While considering gaps between disadvantaged and advantaged groups, the report finds that persons with disabilities have been least empowered and remain among the most vulnerable. A video on the theme can be accessed from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrxbqTI0loA .
Disability was covered in statements and discussions through the entire session, mainly under following agenda items:
2. “Empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality”: general debate on the theme topic.
4. Review of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific.
A. Summary of proceedings (disability related)
Under agenda item 2, a high-level panel discussion on the theme topic was organized, comprising eminent panelists, including Mr. Monthian Buntan, Member of the Senate, Royal Thai Parliament, and Member of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The panel reviewed policy options that promote availability and accessibility of services for all but also to empower disadvantaged populations to use them as well as challenges and opportunities for strengthening inclusion and empowerment of disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, including women and girls, persons with disabilities, rural residents, older persons and migrants.
Mr. Buntan emphasized the importance of promoting polices that were concerned with accessibility for all, since universal design-based accessibility acted as a bridge to realizing inclusion, whether related to transport, public buildings, goods and services, the digital economy or wider technological issues. He noted that, this idea would make sense in the region, where population ageing was progressing and the number of persons with disabilities was increasing, and others such as pregnant women, would also benefit. Furthermore, he underscored the importance of investing more in accessible infrastructure, given the economic growth and increase in investments of Asia and the Pacific. He recommended disability-inclusive procurement policy as an effective way to promote accessibility and supported the ESCAP ongoing analytical work on the subject. With regard to civil society’s role in promoting inclusion and empowerment, he emphasized that civil society organizations should be more aware of their rights, while being legally recognized as development partners by Governments, with anti-discrimination laws in place to rectify any discrimination against different social groups.
A video clip featuring the panel discussion can be accessed from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugihfMTDZTg&feature=youtu.be (time starts 2:28:10, ends 3:20:00).
At the subsequent debate, the Commission recognized that in spite of economic growth and significantly reduced poverty, income gaps between the rich and the poor as well inequalities are growing. Specific groups in society that are particularly at risk of being left behind are persons with disabilities, older persons, children and women, members of ethnic minorities and people living in rural areas. Addressing inequality and ensuring inclusion through empowerment of vulnerable and marginalized groups, including persons with disabilities and women and girls, to access services was highlighted as critical to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Efforts to reduce inequalities were reported, including through adopting long-term national development strategies aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, ensuring integration of SDGs and targets into their national plans, targeted poverty alleviation programmes aimed at vulnerable groups unable to work such as older persons and persons with disabilities, and investments in strengthened social protection, including targeted and universal schemes, and reforms to ensure that social protection schemes reached disadvantaged and marginalized groups, and in particular women and girls.
Video clips featuring country statements can be accessed from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmF86EiIx8U&feature=youtu.be (time starts 29:00, ends 3:02:10) and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsEsYuSGiHc&feature=youtu.be (time starts 13:30, ends 3:03:25)
Under agenda item 4, (a) Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development, the Commission reiterated its commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals, and emphasized the importance of ensuring that no one is left behind in their implementation in Asia and the Pacific region. Integrated and coherent policies that ensure the full consideration of all interlinkages between the SDGs were highlighted as means to achieve these goals. The Commission emphasized the importance of multi-stakeholder platforms and partnerships in ensuring that all individuals and groups in vulnerable and marginalized situations are included in decision-making processes and benefit equally from development outcomes that increase their standard of living. It was highlighted that the full inclusion and empowerment of women and girls, persons with disabilities, youth and older persons were of particular importance to achieving equality for all in Asia and the Pacific.
The Commission also noted the importance of mainstreaming gender equality and disability-inclusive development across all policy areas when working towards the full and progressive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Several representatives cited national examples of good practices in this regard, including progress made in education and health care. Representatives further emphasized the importance of evidence-based research and analysis containing disaggregated data with examples of policies and practices having potential to localize the SDGs in order to transform the lives of individuals and groups in vulnerable situations. Other examples included the setting up of national targets on issues critical for peace, security and development, including actions taken to prevent and eliminate violence against women.
In order to promote a whole-of-society and whole-of-government approach to sustainable development, representatives further reported on successful examples of mainstreaming gender and disability across all sectoral planning, including one representative reporting that the analysis of gender considerations in any development assistance projects was a pre-requisite for resource allocation by the government.
Under agenda item 4, (b) Social development, the Commission was informed among others of country experiences in building an inclusive society and promoting equal opportunity for persons with disabilities by enacting a comprehensive disability-specific law, implementing various initiatives to advance empowerment and participation of persons with disabilities, as well as collecting reliable and comparable data on disability. It expressed its appreciation for the work of the Working Group on the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2013-2022, which made further contributions to promoting disability inclusion and mainstreaming in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In this regard, the importance of the Incheon Strategy to “Make the Right Real” for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific and the Beijing Action Plan to Accelerate the Implementation of the Incheon Strategy were highlighted as useful tools for guiding policy measures on disability-inclusive development.
A video clip featuring agenda item 4 (a) and (b) can be accessed from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vXK-BxAF_w&feature=youtu.be (time starts 7:00, ends 1:51:55)
Under agenda item 6: Management issues, the delegation of China informed the Commission of its intention to contribute US$ 10,000 for ESCAP Multi-donor Trust Fund for the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities.
B. List of disability-specific or mainstreamed documents considered by the Commission
The Commission took note of the Report on the fifth session of the Working Group on the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2013–2022 (ESCAP/75/7)
The Commission endorsed the Report of the Sixth Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (ESCAP/75/5)
The Commission endorsed the report of the Midterm Review of the Asian and Pacific Ministerial Declaration on Population and Development and took note of the Chair’s summary contained in annex II (ESCAP/75/6)
The Commission endorsed the matters calling for action by the Commission or brought to its attention emanating from the meetings of its subsidiary bodies held in the period 2018–2019 (ESCAP/75/4)*
* See Committee on Social Development on its fifth session on pages 8 and 9.
The Commission took note of the Summary of progress in the implementation of Commission resolutions (ESCAP/75/3)*
* See Resolution 73/9: Regional road map for implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific on pages 6 to 8.
The Commission took note of the note by the secretariat on subregional perspectives on empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality in Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP/75/25)
C. Interviews
During the Commission session, Mr. Monthian Buntan, Member of Thailand's Legislative Assembly and Member of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and Ms. Yayoi Kitamura, National Rehabilitation Center, Japan, were interviewed.
Monthian highlighted how to empower vulnerable populations to promote inclusion in society. Yayoi outlined the specific needs of persons with disabilities in Asia-Pacific's disaster-prone areas. To hear their voices, click the videos below:
Monthian's interview
Yayoi's interview