ASEAN promotes inclusiveness for people with disabilities

Illustrative photo (Photo: VNA)

Jakarta (VNA) – The ASEAN High-Level Forum (AHLF) on Disability-Inclusive Development and Partnership Beyond 2025 opened in Makassar city in Indonesia on October 10.

Speaking at the event, Indonesia’s Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini said that the progress in achieving disability inclusion in the past decade in ASEAN countries is not without ongoing challenges.

Rismaharini noted that in Indonesia, disability inclusion is integrated into the National Action Plan for Persons with Disabilities that regulates the fulfillment of rights of persons with disabilities in various sectors, including health, employment, and education.

"We are still confronted with several challenges in eradicating the stigma and discrimination against persons with disabilities, removing various barriers they face, facilitating their participation in various fields, and adapting a life cycle approach to fulfilling the rights of persons with disabilities," she remarked.

Rismaharini calls on countries to affirm their commitment to a better life for all people with disabilities, to increase efforts, and to take positive steps towards respecting the protection and implementation of the rights of people with disabilities.

Accordingly, ASEAN member countries can deploy the ability to design public spaces for people with disabilities, and improve the capacity of relevant parties as well as the bloc's campaigns to raise awareness about the rights of people with disabilities.

She emphasised that the forum is not a charity programme for people with disabilities, but an investment in human resources, accordingly, people with disabilities need to be cared for and given the same conditions as those without disabilities.

The AHLF on Disability-Inclusive Development and Partnership Beyond 2025 held from October 10-12 sees the attendance of ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn, representatives from ASEAN countries, and international and regional organisations.

The forum aims to identify the region's challenges in strengthening disability-inclusive development and discuss concrete recommendations and action plans to accelerate the implementation of the ASEAN Enabling Masterplan 2025./.