Strategy for disability inclusive society in Asia and Pacific launched

Governments of countries in Asia and the Pacific have recently launched a new 10-year strategy to promote the rights and wellbeing of persons with disabilities.

The strategy was launched at a meeting in Incheon, South Korea attended by ministers, government representatives as well as members of civil society from 37 nations in the region.

The meeting in South Korea is reviewing the implementation of the Asia and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons from 2003 to 2012.

According to the UN Economic Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the majority of the estimated 650 million persons with disabilities in the region are poor, disadvantaged and discriminated against.

ESCAP says that while many governments in Asia and the Pacific have implemented policies to protect the rights of persons with disabilities, more measures are needed.

These include improving access to the physical environment, opportunities for education and livelihoods, greater participation in decision-making, equality for women and inclusion in planning for disaster risk reduction.

ESCAP adds that countries in the region also need to accelerate adoption and implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.