Jakarta Declaration on the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2023–2032

  1. We, the ministers and representatives of members and associate members of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, having assembled at the High-level Intergovernmental Meeting on the Final Review of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2013–2022, held in Jakarta and online from 19 to 21 October 2022, have adopted the present declaration.
  2. We recognize the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities1 as both a human rights and a development instrument.
  3. We recall General Assembly resolution 70/1 of 25 September 2015, in which the Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the Sustainable Development Goals, which is inclusive of persons with disabilities and in which Member States pledged that no one will be left behind, and acknowledged that Member States, while implementing the 2030 Agenda, should, inter alia, respect, protect and promote human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without discrimination of any kind.
  4. We take note of General Assembly resolution 76/138 of 16 December 2021 on the follow-up to the Second World Assembly on Ageing, in which the Assembly recognized that the prevalence of disabilities increased with age and that many older persons lived with a disability, and call upon member States to build capacity to alleviate poverty among older persons and to provide social welfare services on the basis of the specific needs of older persons, in particular older women and older persons with disabilities, to strengthen and incorporate a gender and disability perspective into all policy actions on ageing, to address and eliminate discrimination on the basis of age, sex or disability, as well as to collect and use data disaggregated by age, sex and disability for policy design and implementation.
  5. In recognition of the disproportionate impacts of disasters on persons with disabilities, we recall the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030,2 in which emphasis is placed, inter alia, on the importance of the empowerment of persons with disabilities and of inclusive, accessible and non-discriminatory participation in disaster risk reduction.
  6. We recall Commission resolution 69/13 of 1 May 2013, by which the Commission endorsed the Ministerial Declaration on the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2013–2022, and the Incheon Strategy to “Make the Right Real” for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific,3 and Commission resolution 74/7 of 16 May 2018, by which the Commission endorsed the Beijing Declaration, including the Action Plan to Accelerate the Implementation of the Incheon Strategy.4
  7. We reaffirm Commission resolutions 77/1 of 29 April 2021 and 78/1 of 27 May 2022, to build forward better, and emphasize the importance of implementing equal, sustainable and inclusive recovery strategies in line with the 2030 Agenda.
  8. We note the subregional frameworks that have been adopted to strengthen coordination and collaboration among Governments to support national and subregional initiatives in promoting, protecting and fulfilling the rights of persons with disabilities, namely the Pacific Framework for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities5 and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Enabling Masterplan 2025: Mainstreaming the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,6 and acknowledge the value of collaborating across regional, subregional and national levels.
  9. We acknowledge the progress made by members and associate members of the Commission in implementing the Incheon Strategy and the Beijing Declaration, including the Action Plan to Accelerate the Implementation of the Incheon Strategy, and the contributions thereto of civil society, particularly organizations of and for persons with disabilities, including in the response to, as well as the recovery and rebuilding from, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, and welcome the commitments and efforts made by private sector entities engaged in driving disability-inclusive businesses and value chains.
  10. We note that the Asia-Pacific region is experiencing rapid population ageing, with the proportion of the population aged 60 years or over projected to increase from 14.3 per cent in 2022 to 25.9 per cent by 2050,7 which could increase the number of older persons living with disabilities.
  11. We note with concern that, in many instances, despite the progress made, persons with disabilities, in particular women, children, youth, indigenous peoples, older persons, persons with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities and those in other vulnerable situations, continue to face discrimination in all dimensions of life, as well as physical, information and attitudinal barriers, and that persons with disabilities are disproportionately affected by widening inequalities exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and other crises.
  12. We also note with concern that the continuing lack of reliable statistics, data and information on the situation of persons with disabilities at the national, regional and global levels contributes to their exclusion in official statistics, policies and programmes, and in this regard we welcome the call for the disaggregation of data by disability in the 2030 Agenda, which recognizes the need to significantly increase the availability of high-quality, accessible, timely and reliable data to measure progress towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
  13. In the context of improving accessibility and facilitating the participation of persons with disabilities in all aspects of society, we acknowledge the actions taken and the resources committed by Governments to support sustainable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, placing emphasis on building the resilience of people and leaving no one behind, and we also acknowledge the strong potential of technological innovation and digital transformation.
  14. We underscore the need for members and associate members of the Commission and all stakeholders to take urgent actions to protect and reinforce gains and achievements in disability-inclusive development in Asia and the Pacific amid increasing challenges that are brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, climate change and other risks, which have exacerbated the inequalities among population groups and within and across countries, and call for adequate budgetary allocations, innovations and collaborations to strengthen policies and programmes for disability-inclusive development.
  15. We reaffirm the continued relevance and importance of the Incheon Strategy and the Beijing Declaration, including the Action Plan to Accelerate the Implementation of the Incheon Strategy, in advancing the rights of persons with disabilities and in accelerating the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and we recommit ourselves to continuing the implementation of all the goals of the Incheon Strategy.
  16. We proclaim the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2023–2032, to continue to focus on the effective implementation of the Incheon Strategy and the Beijing Declaration, including the Action Plan to Accelerate the Implementation of the Incheon Strategy, underscore the need to make strategic investments for implementation and commit ourselves to taking measures towards disability-inclusive development through a whole-of-society approach in collaboration with all relevant stakeholders, particularly organizations of and for persons with disabilities and private sector entities, to accelerate action to promote and protect the rights of persons with disabilities as follows:
    1. Harmonize national legislations with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, once the Convention has been ratified or acceded to, by conducting comprehensive and regular reviews of national and local legislations as appropriate, providing guidance on the implementation of the Convention by line ministries and governments at all levels, training all personnel involved in law enforcement, integrating the provision of reasonable accommodation in national policies, programmes and budgets, and developing and strengthening frameworks, as appropriate, to promote, protect and monitor the implementation of the Convention;
    2. Promote the meaningful participation of women and men with diverse disabilities of all ages, including by consulting closely and actively involving children and youth with disabilities through their representative organizations, in planning, implementing and making decisions about policies, programmes and political processes through reasonable accommodation, raising awareness and building the capacities of persons with disabilities and their representative organizations, as appropriate, and governments at all levels, as well as other stakeholders;
    3. In the context of paying special attention to the distinct needs of persons with diverse disabilities and of women, children and older persons with disabilities, improve the accessibility of the physical environment, public transportation, information and communications, including information and communications technologies and systems, essential information and services related to disaster risks and public health emergencies and other public services, in both urban and rural areas, and promote universally designed goods, services, equipment and facilities by developing national standards and guidelines in line with latest international accessibility standards and guidelines;
    4. Galvanize the power of the private sector, including its resources, technological innovations and talents, to advance disability-inclusive development by adopting disability-inclusive public procurement policies to promote the application of universal design and accessibility measures to publicly procured infrastructure, information and communications technologies and services, by deploying policy incentives for private companies to take action towards mainstreaming disability inclusion in their workforces, organizations, products, services, market activities and supply chains and by facilitating the development of industry guidelines and protocols, especially in the media, including social media, and the entertainment sector, to promote diversity and inclusion and remove content that could lead to discrimination, stigmatization, stereotyping and misconceptions of persons with disabilities;
    5. Promote a gender-responsive life cycle approach to developing and implementing disability-related policies and programmes, paying particular attention to:
      1. extending both mainstream and disability-specific social protection schemes to cover young children, adolescents, women and older persons with disabilities;
      2. providing early childhood detection and intervention services for children with disabilities as an integral part of strategies, policies, programmes and investments aimed at building human capital;
      3. ensuring continuous and inclusive education for all learners with disabilities; and
      4. responding to discrimination and barriers that women and girls with disabilities, including older women with disabilities, often face in terms of participation and of gaining access to information and services, including sexual and reproductive health services;
    6. Building upon the information provided by authorized national agencies and other recognized sources, as appropriate, take action to close disability data gaps and strengthen capacities to track progress in disability-inclusive development at the national and subnational levels by producing comparable and quality data disaggregated by sex, age and disability across sectors to inform disability-inclusive policymaking, programme planning and implementation strategies and by incorporating reports on progress made in achieving disability-inclusive development in voluntary national reviews, as appropriate, conducted in the framework of the 2030 Agenda and other global and regional development frameworks.
  17. We therefore request the Executive Secretary, in cooperation with all relevant stakeholders and leveraging the Regional Collaborative Platform for Asia and the Pacific and the United Nations country teams in the region, as appropriate, to take the following measures, in close collaboration with member States and persons with disabilities:
    1. To accord priority to continuing the implementation of the Incheon Strategy and the Beijing Declaration, including the Action Plan to Accelerate the Implementation of the Incheon Strategy, and to strengthening disability inclusion for the full and effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda in Asia and the Pacific during the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2023–2032;
    2. To provide technical support to members and associate members of the Commission, upon their request, for the implementation of the present declaration at the regional and national levels;
    3. To support members and associate members of the Commission, upon their request, in integrating the disability perspective into voluntary national reviews conducted in the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals, including by creating a mechanism for engaging persons with disabilities and their representative organizations throughout the national review processes;
    4. To continue to utilize the guidance of the Working Group on the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, as appropriate, to support the effective implementation of the present declaration, to make progress in achieving the goals set out in the Incheon Strategy and to accelerate progress towards the 2030 Agenda in Asia and the Pacific;
    5. To organize a midpoint review in 2027 and a final intergovernmental review in 2032 to assess the progress made by members and associate members of the Commission in implementing the present declaration during the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2023–2032;
    6. To submit the present declaration to the Commission at its seventy-ninth session for its consideration and endorsement.

 

------------
1 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 2515, No. 44910.

2 General Assembly resolution 69/283, annex II

3 Commission resolution 69/13, annexes I and II.

4 ESCAP/74/22/Add.1.

5 Endorsed at the forty-seventh Pacific Islands Forum, held in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia, from 8 to 10 September 2016.

6 Adopted at the thirty-third ASEAN Summit, held in Singapore from 13 to 15 November 2018.

7 United Nations, World Population Prospects 2022: Special Aggregates, online edition.