Commonwealth Asia Regional Conference
It is estimated that there are approximately 650 million Persons with Disabilities in the world, of which 200 million are children – experience some form of disability. Poor nutrition, dangerous working and living conditions, limited access to vaccination programmes, and to health and maternity care, poor hygiene, bad sanitation, inadequate information about the causes of impairments, war and conflict, and natural disasters all cause disability. Around 80% of people with disabilities live in developing countries. By far the largest number live in Asia and they, like people with disabilities elsewhere, continue to face isolation and exclusion.
Commonwealth citizens will urge Asian governments to move one step closer to ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) at a regional conference on disability in Commonwealth Asia from 6 – 8 December in Bangalore, India, hosted by inter-governmental organisation, the Commonwealth Foundation, and Leonard Cheshire Disability. The Conference will bring together representatives from India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei representing the government, disabled peoples’ organisations and non-governmental organisations to share innovative approaches to the challenges to mainstreaming disability issues into such policies and to create plans for follow-up action.
The specific objectives of the event include: To create a common understanding of the challenges faced by people with disabilities in Commonwealth Asia – (Equality and non-discrimination; Health and Rehabilitation; Education and Livelihoods) and to develop mechanisms to overcome key constraints in the implementation of the UNCRPD and to cooperation, networking and convergence of all stakeholders in Commonwealth Asia for this purpose.
6, December 2008
Disability - Global and Regional Scenario
Speaker: K.R Rajendra, Regional Representative, South Asia LCD
Speaker: Victor John Cordiero, Manager - Advocacy and Campaigning, South Asia LCD
Speaker: Dr Maya Thomas
Speaker: Pn Khatijah Sulieman, President, Selangor Cheshire Home, Malaysia
Speaker: Cyril Siriwarddhene, Director - Motivation, Sri Lanka
7 December 2008
Disability and Livelihoods in Commonwealth Asia - The Policy Environment
Speaker:
Sri Lanka: Premalal Ratnaweera, Director – Planning, Ministry of Social Services
Livelihoods: Best Practices from the Region
Speakers:
Malaysia: Datin Ruhani Ibrahim, Faculty of Science & Allied Health, Malaysia
India: Rajesh Mehta, HR Learning Head, IBM Global Services India Private Limited
Disability and Education – The Policy Environment
Speakers:
Malaysia: MD. Kassim Bin Malek, Assistant Director, Ministry of Education Malaysia
India: Anupriya Chaddha, Consultant, Ministry of Human Resource Development (Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan)
Education for All – The Case for Children with Disabilities: Lessons from the Region
Speakers:
Bangladesh: Mahbub Kabir, Director Leonard Cheshire Disability Development Bangladesh
Sri Lanka: Jeevan.K. Programme Manager Leonard Cheshire Disability Resource Centre
8, December 2008
Enabling Access to Health and Rehabilitation Services – the Current Context
Speakers:
Maldives: Aishath Looba, Assistant Director, Care Development Centre
Pakistan: Babar Shezad, Programme Manager, Disability Resource Centre
Innovative Solutions in creating access to affordable health and rehabilitation services in Asia
Role of Self Help Groups and DPOs in reducing poverty
Speakers: India: Victor J C
Bangladesh: MD Mahbubul Ashraf, Secretary, Association for the Welfare of the Disabled (AWDP)
Innovative practices in creating access to Education of children with disabilities
Speakers:
Sri Lanka: Thanuja Navarathna, Advocacy Advisor – Save the Children, Sri Lanka.
Regional Conference Photographs
Young Voices Programme Photographs