The Mainstreaming of Rights of Persons with Disabilities

The Mainstreaming of Rights of Persons with Disabilities in ASEAN in the time of Covid-19 Needs Strengthening

Curated by: ASEAN Disability Forum

ASEAN The 36th ASEAN Summit has just been conducted on 26 June 2020 under the Viet Nam’s chairmanship to promote the theme “Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN.” The summit was attended by the Heads of State/Government of ASEAN Member States amid the Covid-19 pandemic spread in the region. The summit emphasized challenges responding to the most profound concern over the Covid-19 outbreak around the globe and ASEAN region. In light of that, the ASEAN leaders also concerned about the changes at regional and global levels regarding the quick challenges to economic, opportunities, policies, and other sectors affected by the virus’s impairment to the society.

The virus has affected society at all levels and spheres adversely, including persons with disabilities. ASEAN has responded to this matter by issued the Joint Statement of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Social Welfare and Development on Mitigating Impacts of COVID-19 on Vulnerable Groups on 10 June 2020.

Furthermore, in the Chairman’s statement of the 36th ASEAN Summit, ASEAN emphasized the essence of response and measures to address the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on vulnerable groups, namely but not limited to women, children, the person with disabilities, and many more. Human-made and natural disasters such as Covid-19 may amplify the impairment of catastrophe to the lives of persons with disabilities daily. ASEAN member states also encouraged the continuing efforts to mainstream the rights and social welfare of persons with disabilities in the region by connecting it with the strengthening of gender equality and gender-responsive policies as well as programs in ASEAN. In light of this, we hope ASEAN will strengthen the commitment and joint efforts to increase the discourse of paradigm to the implementation of policy based on social and human rights perspectives model in the ASEAN Member States.

The full Chairman’s statement of the 36th ASEAN Summit can be downloaded on document below

Chairman-Statement-of-the-36th-ASEAN-Sum

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