Ministerial Declaration on the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2013-2022

We, the ministers and representatives of members and associate members of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) assembled at the High-level Intergovernmental Meeting on the Final Review of the Implementation of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 2003–2012, held at Incheon, Republic of Korea, from 29 October to 2 November 2012,

Recalling General Assembly resolution 37/52 of 3 December 1982, in which the Assembly adopted the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons,¹ and resolution 48/96 of 20 December 1993, in which the Assembly adopted the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities, in which persons with disabilities are recognized as both development agents and beneficiaries in all aspects of development,

Also recalling General Assembly resolution 61/106 of 13 December 2006, in which the Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol, which entered into force on 3 May 2008,

Further recalling General Assembly resolution 65/1 of 22 September 2010, entitled “Keeping the promise: united to achieve the Millennium Development Goals”, in which the Assembly, inter alia, recognized that policies and actions must focus on the poor and those living in the most vulnerable situations, including persons with disabilities, so that they benefit from progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals,

Welcoming the decision of the General Assembly to hold the High-level Meeting on the Realization of the Millennium Development Goals and other Internationally Agreed Development Goals for Persons with Disabilities, at the level of heads of State and Government, on 23 September 2013, with the overarching theme “The way forward: a disability-inclusive development agenda towards 2015 and beyond”,²

Recalling General Assembly resolution 66/290 of 10 September 2012, which stipulates an agreed common understanding of human security, which, inter alia, states that all individuals, in particular vulnerable people, are entitled to freedom from fear and freedom from want, with an equal opportunity to enjoy all their rights and fully develop their human potential,

Also recalling Commission resolution 48/3 of 23 April 1992 on the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993–2002, in which the Commission proclaimed the first such regional decade in the world,

Further recalling Commission resolution 58/4 of 22 May 2002 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, in which the Commission proclaimed the extension of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons for another decade, from 2003 to 2012,

Recalling Commission resolution 59/3 of 4 September 2003 on the regional implementation of the Biwako Millennium Framework for Action towards an Inclusive, Barrier-free and Rights-based Society for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific during the Decade of Disabled Persons, 2003–2012, in which the Commission, inter alia, requested members and associate members to support the implementation of the Biwako Millennium Framework for Action,

Also recalling Commission resolution 64/8 of 30 April 2008 on regional implementation of the Biwako Millennium Framework for Action and Biwako Plus Five towards an Inclusive, Barrier-free and Rights-based Society for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific, in which the Commission mandated the convening of a high-level intergovernmental meeting to review the implementation of the Biwako Millennium Framework for Action and Biwako Plus Five in 2012, the concluding year of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 2003–2012,

Further recalling Commission resolution 66/11 of 19 May 2010 on regional preparations for the High-level Intergovernmental Meeting on the Final Review of the Implementation of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 2003–2012, in which the Commission encouraged the participation of all key stakeholders, including organizations of persons with disabilities from Asia and the Pacific, in the preparatory process leading up to the High-level Intergovernmental Meeting,

Recalling Commission resolution 68/7 of 23 May 2012, in which the Commission proclaimed the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2013–2022, and urged all members and associate members to participate actively in the High-level Intergovernmental Meeting and to consider and adopt a strategic framework to guide the implementation of the Decade that is based on the general principles and obligations stipulated in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,

Noting that the World Report on Disability estimates that 15 per cent of the population experience some form of disability, which in the Asian and Pacific region equates to 650 million persons with disabilities, with 80 per cent living in developing countries,³

Welcoming the progress that has been achieved over the course of two Asian and Pacific Decades, spanning the period 1993 to 2012, by ESCAP members and associate members in establishing the foundation for a rights-based approach, with a focus on the dignity of persons with disabilities, to inclusive development, particularly through policy and institutional commitments, as well as new strides in legislation and empowerment,

Noting with appreciation the contributions of civil society, particularly organizations of and for persons with disabilities, to the progress achieved, including through continuous awareness-raising of the rights of persons with diverse disabilities, innovation of good practices, and engagement in policy dialogue,

Bearing in mind that Pacific Leaders at the Forty-first Pacific Islands Forum, held in Port Vila, reaffirmed, through their Communiqué of 5 August 2010,⁴ their strong support for the Pacific Regional Strategy on Disability 2010–2015⁵ to protect and promote the rights of persons with disabilities, to provide a framework for coordination in building a disability-inclusive Pacific, and to strengthen stakeholder commitment towards the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and other disability-related human rights instruments,

Noting with appreciation the Bali Declaration on the Enhancement of the Role and Participation of Persons with Disabilities in the ASEAN Community,⁶ adopted on 17 November 2011 by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at its nineteenth summit, held in Bali, Indonesia, in which ASEAN, inter alia, proclaimed the period 2011 to 2020 as the ASEAN Decade of Persons with Disabilities, towards ensuring the effective participation of persons with disabilities and mainstreaming disability perspectives in ASEAN policies and programmes across the economic, political security and socio-cultural pillars of the ASEAN Community,

Welcoming the Busan Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation,⁷ adopted on 1 December 2011 by the Fourth High-level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, Busan, Republic of Korea, which, inter alia, recognized the importance of international commitments on disability for forming the foundation of cooperation for effective development,

Also welcoming the Beijing Declaration on Disability-Inclusive Development,⁸ adopted on 8 June 2012 by the Beijing Forum with the theme “removing barriers, promoting integration”, which, inter alia, recognized the significance of accelerating the ratification and implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and incorporating the disability dimension in the United Nations development agenda beyond 2015 in diverse sectors,

Noting the Community-based Rehabilitation Guidelines,⁹ a joint document of the World Health Organization, the International Labour Organization, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the International Disability and Development Consortium, which provides a comprehensive, multisectoral poverty reduction strategy for implementing the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,

Recalling the outcome document of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, entitled “The future we want”,¹⁰ which was adopted by the Conference on 22 June 2012, and which, inter alia, identified persons with disabilities and recognized their right to inclusion in measures that accelerate the implementation of sustainable development commitments,

Noting with concern that there are still many challenges to be addressed to ensure that persons with disabilities in Asia and the Pacific have the right to equitable access to economic and social opportunities and political participation and all other aspects of life,

Underscoring the need to address the disability dimensions of the long-term consequences of the rapid population ageing that is under way in Asia and the Pacific,

Noting with serious concern the disproportionate impact of disasters on persons with disabilities in Asia and the Pacific, which in the past three decades has been the region that has suffered the largest number of disasters,

Also noting with serious concern that negative stereotyping and discriminatory behaviour towards persons with disabilities still prevail,

Mindful that there are increasing opportunities for promoting and protecting the rights of persons with disabilities, including through the use of new technologies for enhancing the accessibility of the physical environment, public transportation, knowledge, information and communication,

Adopt the Incheon Strategy to “Make the Right Real” for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific, as attached, to catalyse action that shall accelerate, during the new Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2013–2022, the achievement of the regional vision of an inclusive society that ensures, promotes and upholds the rights of all persons with disabilities in Asia and the Pacific;

Recognize the central role of government in ensuring, promoting and upholding the rights of persons with disabilities and in promoting the inclusion of disability dimensions in the development agenda beyond 2015 in diverse sectors;

Commit to implement the present Declaration and the Incheon Strategy by promoting action to reach the Incheon goals and targets by 2022;

Invite all concerned stakeholders, including the following, to join in a region-wide partnership to contribute to the implementation of the present Declaration and the Incheon Strategy:

1. Subregional intergovernmental entities, including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Economic Cooperation Organization, the Pacific Islands Forum and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, to promote and strengthen subregional cooperation for disability-inclusive development, in coordination with ESCAP;
    
2. Development cooperation agencies, to strengthen the disability-inclusiveness of their policies, plans and programmes;
    
3. The World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, to harness their technical and financial resources for promoting disability-inclusive development in Asia and the Pacific;
    
4. The United Nations system, including programmes, funds and specialized agencies and ESCAP, to jointly deliver disability-inclusive development in Asia and the Pacific, including through effective use of existing mechanisms at the national, regional and international levels, such as the United Nations Development Group and United Nations country teams,
    
5. Civil society organizations, particularly organizations of and for persons with disabilities, to participate effectively in the monitoring and evaluation of the Decade to foster continuous responsiveness on the aspirations and needs of persons with disabilities, including through outreach to diverse disability groups, and contributing to policy and programme development and implementation;
    
6. Organizations of and for persons with disabilities, to participate actively in decision-making processes concerning the Incheon Strategy;
    
7. The private sector, to promote disability-inclusive business practices;
    

Request the Executive Secretary of ESCAP:

1. To accord priority to supporting members and associate members in the full and effective implementation of the present Declaration and the Incheon Strategy, in cooperation with other concerned entities;
    
2. To engage with stakeholders and encourage their participation in the implementation of the present Declaration and the Incheon Strategy;
    
3. To submit the outcome of this High-level Intergovernmental Meeting to the Commission at its sixty-ninth session for endorsement;
    
4. To submit the outcome of this High-level Intergovernmental Meeting to the High-level Meeting on the Realization of the Millennium Development Goals and other Internationally Agreed Development Goals for Persons with Disabilities, to be convened on 23 September 2013, through the President of the General Assembly;
    
5. To report to the Commission triennially thereafter until the end of the Decade on the progress in the implementation of the present Declaration and the Incheon Strategy;
    
6. To develop a roadmap for the implementation of the Incheon Strategy to “Make the Right Real” for Persons with Disabilities, including reporting requirements, for submission to the Commission at its seventieth session;
    

Recommend that the Commission at its sixty-ninth session decide to convene a high-level intergovernmental meeting to review the progress of the Decade at the midpoint of the Decade (2017), and to mark the conclusion of the Decade (2022).