Explore disability-inclusive COVID-19 responses and useful links by governments in Asia and the Pacific.
Download all country responses in PDF
East and North-East Asia
- China
- Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (the)
- Japan
- Mongolia
- Republic of Korea (the)
- Hong Kong, China (Associate member)
- Macao, China (Associate member)
North and Central Asia
South-East Asia
- Brunei Darussalam
- Cambodia
- Indonesia
- Lao People's Democratic Republic (the)
- Malaysia
- Myanmar
- Philippines (the)
- Singapore
- Thailand
- Timor-Leste
- Viet Nam
South and South-West Asia
- Afghanistan
- Bangladesh
- Bhutan
- India
- Iran (Islamic Republic of)
- Maldives
- Nepal
- Pakistan
- Sri Lanka
- Turkey
The Pacific
- Australia
- Fiji
- Kiribati
- Marshall Islands (the)
- Micronesia (Federated States of)
- Nauru
- New Zealand
- Palau
- Papua New Guinea
- Samoa
- Solomon Islands
- Tonga
- Tuvalu
- Vanuatu
- American Samoa (Associate member)
- Cook Islands (the) (Associate member)
- French Polynesia (Associate member)
- Guam (Associate member)
- New Caledonia (Associate member)
- Niue (Associate member)
- Northern Mariana Islands (the) (Associate member)
Note:
Responses are clustered in line with the six recommendations in the ESCAP policy brief “Ensuring Disability Rights and Inclusion in the Response to COVID-19” (https://www.unescap.org/resources/policy-brief-covid-19-and-person-disabilities):
- Recommendation 1: Mainstreaming of disability inclusion, participation, and partnerships;
- Recommendation 2: Continued access to goods and services;
- Recommendation 3: Accessible public information;
- Recommendation 4: Medical and quarantine policies and processes;
- Recommendation 5: Social protection and employment support; and
- Recommendation 6: Institutional settings.
Different combinations of keywords such as “COVID-19”, “coronavirus”, “persons with disabilities”, “disability”, and “vulnerable groups” were used to find available online resources. Special attention was paid to the websites of national news agencies, government disability focal points, and ministries in charge of health, human rights, or social protection. Additionally, the COVID-19 portals of ILO (https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/coronavirus/country-responses/lang--en/index.htm), IMF (https://www.imf.org/en/Topics/imf-and-covid19/Policy-Responses-to-COVID-19), and KPMG (https://home.kpmg/xx/en/home/insights/2020/04/government-response-global-landscape.html) were checked to complement the existing information.
Due to the limited publicity of disability-related responses and the evolving situation of the pandemic, the measures cannot be considered as exhaustive, definitive, or in any way binding and do not reflect the views or position of ESCAP. The reference to each measure is provided; however, we cannot guarantee the accuracy and quality of every resource.