New development agenda must be disability-inclusive

The rights of persons with disabilities must be directly addressed by the post-2015 development agenda, United Nations officials on September 23 urged a high-level meeting of the General Assembly, where world leaders pledged to work together on national and international policies that enhance and promote disability-inclusive development.
The rights of persons with disabilities must be directly addressed bythe post-2015 development agenda, United Nations officials on September23 urged a high-level meeting of the General Assembly, where worldleaders pledged to work together on national and international policiesthat enhance and promote disability-inclusive development.

Reaffirming the international community’s resolve in advancing therights of all persons with disabilities, the Assembly’s high-levelmeeting on disability and development adopted an agreed outcomestressing the need to ensure accessibility for and inclusion of personswith disabilities in all aspects of development and of giving them dueconsideration in the emerging post-2015 UN development agenda.

“Disability is part of the human condition; almost everyone will betemporarily or permanently impaired at some point in life,” SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon said at the opening of the meeting.

“Yet far too many people with disabilities live in poverty. Too manysuffer from social exclusion. Too many are denied access to education,employment, health care, and social and legal support systems.”
Persons with disabilities make up the largest minority in the world,with more than one billion people living with some form of disability.Eighty percent are of working age and the vast majority live indeveloping countries.

“All of us suffer whencommunities are divided, just as all of us benefit when communities areunited,” Ban Ki-moon told more than 800 representatives of organizationsof persons with disabilities who attended the event.

In his remarks, the Secretary General underlined that persons withdisabilities are an integral part in achieving the eight anti-povertytargets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) before theirdeadline, and in shaping the post-2015 development agenda.

Agreed by world leaders at a UN summit in 2000, the MDGs set specifictargets on poverty alleviation, education, gender equality, child andmaternal health, environmental stability, HIV/AIDS reduction, and aglobal partnership for development. However, no goal directly addressesthe rights of persons with disabilities.

“We mustfurther strengthen the international normative framework on disabilityand development,” Ban Ki-moon said. We must act now to remove barriersto access to physical environments, transportation and information andcommunications. And we must not only lift the physical barriers – butalso the barriers in attitudes that fuel stigma and discrimination.”

Also speaking at the meeting, the President of the General Assembly,John Ashe called on member states that have not yet done so to ratifythe Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Todate, 134 countries have ratified or acceded to the Convention.-VNA

See more

Delegates at the event (Photo: kpl.gov.la)

Laos aims for sustainable infrastructure development

Laos' Enabling Environment Roadmap for Infrastructure Asset Management (IAM EE) outlines strategies for the effective management of public infrastructure, including roads, schools, and hospitals, with a focus on resilience, inclusivity, and sustainability.

Strong earthquake strikes eastern Indonesia (Photo: scienceexchange.caltech.edu)

Strong earthquake strikes eastern Indonesia

A 6.0-magnitude earthquake occurred at 5:15 pm, with its epicenter located 93 km northeast of Indonesia's Maluku Barat Daya district and a hypocenter at a depth of 157 km beneath the seabed. No tsunami warning has been issued.

Rescue forces are racing against time to search for victims of the earthquake that hit Myanmar on March 28, 2025. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)

Myanmar earthquake: Devastation’s full extend is not clear

Myanmar's state media quoted military government leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing as saying the earthquake death toll had reached 2,065, with more than 3,900 injured and some 270 missing. Aid agencies forecast these numbers will rise significantly due to information blackouts in remote areas.

File - Passengers pass through the automatic immigration checkpoint (auto gate) at Terminal 3 of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia, January 3, 2024. (Photo: ANTARA)

Indonesia operates auto gates at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport

According to Johanes Fanny Satria Cahya Aprianto, head of the airport's immigration office, immigration services are fully prepared for the surge in passengers. Currently the office has deployed 531 personnel to ensure smooth and efficient immigration processing at the airport.

Rescuers on March 30 search for missing people after the earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)

WHO seeks urgent funding for Myanmar after devastating earthquake

In its flash appeal for funds, the WHO said the high numbers of casualties and trauma injuries are at high risk of infection due to limited surgical capacity in the country, while the underlying conditions in Myanmar meant the quake is likely to intensify the risk of diseases.

Belgian King Philippe and Queen Mathilde (Photo: AFP/VNA)

Belgian monarchs’ state visit to open new chapter in bilateral cooperation

As a major player in the region and one of the most dynamic economies in Asia, Vietnam is an indispensable partner for Belgium. The meetings with the various Vietnamese authorities will therefore offer an excellent opportunity to further deepen and enrich this diverse partnership, according the Belgian Federal Public Service of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation.

Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sar Sokha. (Photo: khmertimeskh.com)

Cambodia strengthens cross-border crime control

In 2024, Cambodia cracked down 197 cases relating to human trafficking and sexual exploitation, an increase of over 20% compared to the previous year. The authorities identified 523 victims and arrested 273 suspects and sent them to court, including 30 foreigners.