About Us

What is Make the Right Real!?

Make the Right Real! is the regional campaign launched by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) at the second session of the ESCAP Social Development Committee held in October 2010. It aims to accelerate progress towards an inclusive society that ensures, promotes and upholds the rights of all persons with disabilities in Asia and the Pacific.

 

Why Make the Right Real!?

In Asia and the Pacific, over 750 million people live with some form of disability. They continue to face negative stereotypes and multiple barriers in their participation as equal members of society and are exposed to violations of their human rights. They are often excluded from access to education, decent work, social protection services and legal support, and are subject to disproportionately high rates of poverty. Asia and the Pacific is the first region that proclaimed regional disability initiatives through the adoption of four consecutive decades of Persons with Disabilities since 1993. The first two decades (1993-2002 and 2003-2012) facilitated a paradigm shift from a charity-based model of disability to a social model, advocating disability rights and inclusion. The third Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2013 - 2022 was launched with the adoption of the Incheon Strategy to “Make the Right Real” for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific. The Incheon Strategy sets out 10 disability development goals, 27 targets, and 62 indicators. With this specific time-bound and measurable instrument, the third decade put emphasis on evidence-based implementation of disability inclusion.

The 2017 midpoint review of progress made in the implementation of the Incheon Strategy led to the adoption of the Beijing Declaration, including the Action Plan to Accelerate the Implementation of the Incheon Strategy. The 2022 final review further provided a substantive basis to advance disability-inclusive development and reaffirm the region’s commitment toward it. Following the final review, the fourth Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2023 - 2032 was declared in Jakarta, Indonesia. The Jakarta Declaration upholds the commitment of ESCAP member States and associate members to continue the implementation of the Incheon Strategy and Beijing Declaration in the new decade and outlines six areas for priority action, namely: (1) harmonizing national legislations with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, (2) promoting meaningful participation of diverse disability groups, (3) improving accessibility, (4) galvanizing the power of the private sector, (5) promoting a gender-responsive life cycle approach, and (6) closing disability data gaps.

The Social Development Division of ESCAP is supporting national and regional efforts to implement the Incheon Strategy, the Beijing Declaration and Action Plan, and the ensuing Jakarta Declaration.