By JAKE SORIANO
THE National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) has lauded the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders Declaration, saying it opens doors not just for the sector but to a more inclusive economic growth for all.
PWDs are mentioned thrice in the 2015 declaration, released on Thursday to cap the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting (AELM) held in Manila.
Leaders of 21 APEC member economies said they “recognize the significance of enabling the full participation of all sectors and segments of our society” including PWDs.
They also encouraged further collaboration with the sector “to find solutions to the challenges we face and build a better, more inclusive world.”
“We worked hard on that (inclusion),” said NCDA Acting Executive Director Carmen Zubiaga in an SMS to VERA Files.
The hard work began two years ago.
In 2013, the NCDA presented to the 2015 APEC Technical Working Group the concept of including PWDs in the APEC agenda.
In November 2014, upon the invitation of the China Disabled People’s Federation, Zubiaga delivered a keynote speech in Beijing during a consultation forum with APEC economic officers.
“No economy has the right to proclaim sufficiency if one of its sector is being excluded and denied of access to productive resources, support and accommodation to fully participate in wealth creation,” she said in her address.
“There has to be a paradigm shift in the way that every economy should perceive disability,” she added.
The high-level meeting saw the launch of the Group of Friends on Disability Issues (GOF), which intends to “seek common ground, share experiences and identify ways to bring about inclusive development that equitably benefits (PWDs).”
The Philippines is one of the six founding members of GOF, along with Australia, Hong Kong, China, Mexico, and the United States. Russia and Chile later joined the group.
Senior disability officials from these economies, citing the 2011 World Report on Disability that found that some 650 million persons in the Asia Pacific region have disabilities, jointly called on APEC leaders to include PWDs in promoting regional economic growth and free trade.
“We expressed concern that most (PWDs) were forced to live in conditions of hardship and poverty, and thus were in great need of social support,” the joint statement read.
“At the same time, we recognized that persons with disabilities had huge creative potential and various skills. Thus, as long as they could fully enjoy equal rights in an accessible environment, they could create enormous material and cultural wealth,” it added.
Last May, during the 2nd APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting in Boracay, senior officials unanimously adopted the inclusion of PWDs in the APEC agenda, as recommended by the GOF.
The GOF was also elevated to APEC Group of Friends on Disability (APEC GOF), and is expected to play a wider role within the APEC framework.
In September, the APEC GOF met in Cebu, and elected China as chair and the United States as vice chair.
NCDA said the inclusion of PWDs in the APEC Leaders Declaration “will be a reminder to member economies to strengthen its commitment to enhance their skills and employment potentials and open more inclusive regional cooperation programs leading (to) meaningful economic participation.”
With that, the NCDA added that it expects inclusive education, and accessibility of transport and communication will be given priority to ensure that PWDs “will not be left behind following the APEC vision of inclusive economic growth.”
“Building Inclusive Economies, Building a Better World” was the theme of 23rd APEC summit.
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