A Pivotal Moment for Disability Rights
The adoption and endorsement of the Jakarta Declaration marks a pivotal moment in the Asia-Pacific region’s pursuit of disability-inclusive development. This milestone document builds upon the successes and lessons learned from the past three decades (1993–2022). It stands as a testament to the region’s unwavering commitment to advancing disability rights and charts a course to create a more equitable and inclusive society for all.
The Declaration’s Six Priority Areas for Action
The declaration calls for a whole-of-society approach and outlines six key areas for accelerated action over the next decade (2023-2032).
- Harmonizing National Legislation: Harmonizing national legislation with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, including reviewing legislation, integrating reasonable accommodation into all national policies, and strengthening independent mechanisms to address and respond to grievances.
- Enabling Meaningful Participation: Enabling meaningful participation of persons with diverse disabilities of all ages in the planning, decision-making, implementation, and review of policies, programmes, and political processes.
- Advancing Universal Design: Advancing universal design-based accessibility of the physical environment, public transportation, knowledge, information and communication, and other public facilities and services.
- Galvanizing the Private Sector: Galvanizing the power of the private sector, including in developing disability-inclusive public procurement policies and mainstreaming disability inclusion into workforces, products, supply chains, and media.
- Promoting a Gender-Responsive Approach: Promoting a gender-responsive life cycle approach to disability inclusion, including through social protection schemes, early childhood intervention, and policies responding to intersecting forms of discrimination.
- Closing Disability Data Gaps: Closing disability data gaps and strengthening progress-tracking of disability-inclusive development, building on synergies with monitoring the Sustainable Development Goal progress.
Closing Disability Data Gaps
Closing disability data gaps and strengthening progress-tracking of disability-inclusive development, building on synergies with monitoring the Sustainable Development Goal progress.
Explore the Official Guide
To learn more about the detailed framework and goals of this landmark initiative, you can view the official operational guide from UNESCAP.
Operational guide on the implementation of the Jakarta Declaration on the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2023-2032