Publication > Newsletter > Newsletter 20 > UNESCAP-APCD High-level Stakeholders' Workshop

UNESCAP-APCD High-level Stakeholders' Workshop
on Empowerment of People with Disabilities
and a Barrier-free Society through
Networking and Collaboration

The Workshop was organized in collaboration with UNESCAP at UNCC, from 6-8 June 2007. The objectives of the Workshop were to share the outcomes of APCD, and also consider the future direction of APCD. The Workshop consisted of 3 main parts: firstly, the statements by the Government of Japan and the Royal Thai Government concerning the APCD Project; secondly, the reports of APCD's outcomes, including field visits; and thirdly, the future direction of APCD's collaboration with the international, sub-regional, national and grassroots organizations.

H.E. Mr. Paiboon Wattanasiritham, Deputy Prime Minister, Royal Thai Government, who gave the inaugural speech emphasized that Thailand has been an active participant in the area of humanitarian issues and poverty alleviation of people with disabilities. The Government of Thailand has changed its policy from a charity-based approach to a rights-based approach and APCD has been promoting an inclusive, barrier-free and rights-based humanitarian development, not only in Thailand, but also in the Asia-Pacific region.

Mr. Shigeru Mochida, Deputy Executive Secretary and Officer-in-Charge, a.i. of the Secretariat, UNESCAP, welcomed the participants. He stated that ESCAP was preparing for the mid-point review of the second Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 2003-2012 and that the Workshop's inputs would be valuable for such review.

Mr. Katsuji Onoda, Resident Representative of JICA Thailand mentioned that JICA had 31 overseas offices in the region and that they closely collaborated with the APCD. They would continue to collaborate with the Thai Government and NGO sectors in order to promote empowerment of persons with disabilities and a barrier-free society in the Asia-Pacific region.

Mr. Jun Niimi, Charge d' Affairs, a.i., and Permanent Representative to ESCAP, Embassy of Japan, reported that the Government of Japan has been supporting disability and development through the Japan-ESCAP Cooperation Fund (JECF) since 1986. APCD was the legacy of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002, and identified APCD as the regional organization to promote empowerment of persons with disabilities and a barrier-free society.

The Workshop was attended by representatives of APCD's national focal points from Cambodia, China, Fiji, Indonesia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vanuatu and Viet Nam, 22 associate organizations, as well as international non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

APCD and UNESCAP reported their achievements, followed by APCD's focal points and associate organizations on their best practices:

(1) Capacity-building of Self-help Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (CBSHOD) and their contribution to earthquake reconstruction in Pakistan.

The Government of Pakistan and disabled people's organizations (DPOs) such as Special Talent Exchange Program (STEP), Milestone and Life Independent Living Center (Milestone), and Al Sanghar Handicaps' Association (ASHA), collaborated to form a national organization of DPOs and created a collaborative mechanism between the Government and DPOs. As a consequence, both sectors jointly collaborated to support the earthquake victims who became paraplegics. The Japanese Social Development Fund, through the World Bank, was utilized to set up independent living centers in the earthquake affected areas, as well as a community-based rehabilitation program. Organizations of people with disabilities were important stakeholders to rescue and reconstruct the earthquake affected areas in this national disaster.

(2) Promotion of Non-handicapping Environment (NHE)

APCD's NHE ex-participant gave a presentation on the promotion of accessibility for the built environment in the Philippines. The National Council for Welfare of Persons with Disabilities (NCWDP) facilitated, in collaboration with the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP) from the professional sector, and organizations of persons with disabilities to organize a national workshop on a nonhandicapping environment with support of JICA Philippines. As a result, the local government, as well as the private sectors such as SM-Supermall, banks, restaurants, etc., took initiatives to carry out non-handicapping environment activities.

(3) Information Networking and Accessibility to/or Information and Communication Technologies

The representatives of Mitra Netra Foundation, Indonesia, and Young Power in Social Action (YPSA), Bangladesh, presented very successful experiences of ICT accessibility.

(4) Independent Living of Persons with Disabilities in the Community

A representative of the Thailand Council for Independent Living (TCIL) shared about the independent living movement in Thailand, which now has 4 Centers in 3 provinces. These ILCs collaborated with the village level, government sector and community organizations as well as private sectors in promoting accessibility in the community and awareness of the disability movement.

(5) Collaboration between the Government and Self-help Groups of Persons with Disabilities with a Hearing Disability

The representatives of the Department of Social Welfare, Government of Myanmar, and Yangon Deaf Association, gave a joint presentation on the standardization of sign language in Myanmar, which was supported by JICA Myanmar.

(6) Sub-regional Collaboration in the Pacific

Representatives of the National Assembly of Disabled Persons (NADP) in Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Disability Forum (PDF) in Fiji, presented their subregional collaborative activities in the Pacific. CBSHOD organized in Papua New Guinea this year, has resulted in a newly formed self-help organization in March 2007 and the promotion of disability and development, especially in the area of women with disabilities.

The Pacific Disability Forum was formed in 2004; APCD has been supporting the PDF to develop its subregional mechanism through CBSHOD.

Field Visits to the Thai Best Practices:

There were 3 field visitations: (a) accessibility in the built environment (underground train system, Mass Rapid Transit, and Council of Disabled People of Thailand); (b) accessibility to information (Thailand Association of the Blind, TAB and National Electronics and Computer Technology Center, NECTEC); (c) empowerment and community living of persons with extensive disabilities (Independent Living Center and the sub-district administrative Organization (SAO)).

Participants at the Sub-district Administrative Organization (SAO) Lastly, the Workshop focused on the future direction of and collaboration with APCD by the stakeholders. The panel discussion was conducted by representatives of Inclusion International (II), Disabled Peoples' International, Asia-Pacific Region (DPI AP), Japanese Society for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities (JSRPD), World Federation of the Deaf, Regional Secretariat in Asia-Pacific (WFD AP), and SM-Supermall (a private sector). II and WFD emphasized the need to organize national organizations of intellectual disabilities and organizations of persons with hearing impairments in the Mekong river countries. JSRPD would like to collaborate with APCD to do follow-up of their ex-trainees in the Asia-Pacific region, totaling as of 2007, 61 persons with disabilities from 21 countries. DPI-AP would like to collaborate with APCD in the area of CBSHOD, women with disabilities and the promotion of disability and development.

Lastly, SM-Supermall as a private sector, emphasized the importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and encouraged all the private and business sectors to collaborate with APCD to develop a society for all.

Some suggestions came from the subregional meetings wishing to have a subregional office of APCD or similar function, and also to collaborate with intergovernmental subregional organizations such as ASEAN, SAARC, and Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) in order to enhance a subregional mechanism and cooperation between government and non-governmental sectors.

APCD/UNESCAP Meeting at UNCC Recommendations were as follows:

Government focal points, associate NGO organizations and international NGO welcome APCD to become a public organization in order to become an international organization in the future.
To strengthen subregional networking and collaboration with government and NGO sectors.
To strengthen subregional networking and collaboration on disability, and a subregional intergovernmental forum/association should be established as a disability focal point.
CBSHOD could invite representatives of a subregional intergovernmental body.
Focal points and associate organizations should exchange information and personnel and share experience and expertise to strengthen networking and collaboration in the subregion.
APCD should actively include persons with intellectual disabilities, as well as deaf persons as the target groups of its programs.
Through networking and collaboration with APCD, Governments in the Asia-Pacific region are encouraged to promote the establishment of national self-help organizations of deaf persons and assist them in the development and nation-wide dissemination of a standardized national sign language.
Networking and collaboration with the business sector in order to promote corporate social responsibility (CSR).
APCD may promote poverty reduction by collaboration and development of a mechanism among stakeholders.

Workshop Outcomes

Workshop evaluations indicate that 60% of all participants strongly agreed that they gained new valuable knowledge and insights, while 38% agreed for a total of 98%.

Sixty-seven percent of the participants strongly agreed and 31% agreed to have developed/strengthened a network with APCD. Again, 98% of all participants.

Fourteen country representatives would like to further develop their network; 24 of the associate organizations would like to strengthen networking and collaboration.

Phase I of APCD (August 2002-July 2007) definitely established the infrastructure of networking and collaboration with member countries and associate organizations, which will be a valuable asset for Phase II (August 2007-July 2012). International organizations, such as Disabled Peoples' International (DPI-Asia Pacific Regional), the World Deaf Federation, Inclusion International, and the Japanese Society for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities (JSRPD), clearly expressed a desire to collaborate with the APCD in Phase II, especially the development of Self-Help Organizations (SHO) of people with hearing impairments and persons with intellectual disabilities in the Mekong sub-regional countries. Several major international government organizations and international NGOs are also expected to join the project in Phase II. Therefore, APCD's Phase II will further develop effective and sustainable networking and collaboration.

Lastly, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) would like to utilize the results and reports for the High-level Intergovernmental Meeting on the Mid-point Review of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons. The UNESCAP also expressed a desire to develop networking and collaboration with APCD to promote a sub-regional mechanism.

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UNESCAP-APCD High-level Stakeholders' Workshop on Empowerment of People with Disabilities and a Barrier-free Society through Networking and Collaboration