International: The Task Force on the Mainstreaming of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the ASEAN Community convened its 8th Meeting on 14 to 15 September in Bangkok, Thailand.
The Meeting finalised the ASEAN Enabling Masterplan 2025: Mainstreaming the Rights of Persons with Disabilities that encompasses all ASEAN Community Pillars and encourages ASEAN Bodies to take action in integrating and including disability perspectives to their work.
Reaffirming persons with disabilities as agents of change themselves, the Enabling Masterplan has benefitted from consultation with organisations of persons with disabilities and would continue engagement with civil society organisations in its implementation.
The ASEAN Enabling Masterplan is aimed to be adopted by the ASEAN Leaders in November 2018.
The Meeting was co-chaired by Dr. Seree Nonthasoot, Thailand Representative to the AICHR and Mr. Richard Tan, Singapore Focal Point to SOMSWD and supported by the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF) and the Australian Government. The Meeting extended appreciation to the Government of Thailand for its hospitality and arrangement of the meeting.