4. The Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 2003-2012:
"Towards an Inclusive, Barrier-Free, and Rights-Based Society"
Action Guideline: The Biwako Millennium Framework

Disabled Peoples' International Asia Pacific Regional Council organized the Capacity Building Training-Seminar for Persons with Disabilities in Asia-Pacific Region (CBTS) within the theme "Toward an Inclusive, Barrier−free, Rights−based Society for Persons With Disabilitie" in Kathmandu, Nepal from 13^th to 17th February 2004 in which 50 delegates participated from 28 countries, including more than 50 local participants. The CBTS aimed to promote young leadership in the region and to build capacities to promote the Biwako Millennium Framework as well as to help them in mobilizing support for the ongoing work for the International Convention to Promote and Protect the Rights of Disabled Persons in their respective countries.

According to the Disabled Peoples" International, the Government is in the process of adopting a National Policy and Plan of Action for PWDs based on the UN Standard Rules on Equalization of Opportunity for PWDs 1994, UN extended decades for Asia Pacific Region on Disability 2003-2012 and Biwako Millennium Framework on Disability, 2002. In the process of preparing the National Policy, all concerned government agencies, NGOs and external development partners, experts and professionals were actively involved.

The National Federation of Disabled-Nepal (NFDN) jointly with National Planning Commission (NPC) with the financial assistance from the Danish Council of Organisations of Disabled People has drafted the National Disability Policy paper. The paper is a comprehensive document that covers 17 areas with details (global/national context, issues, status, objective, policy, strategy and plan of action with indicators) of activities. The Government is in the process for its approval from the Council of Ministers in order to implement the provisions as mentioned in the Policy Paper. (See Appendix II for a complete version of the draft policy paper).

No other formalized announcements from the Government have been made on the implementation of the Biwako Millennium Framework or the National Disability Policy Paper.