Background
Following the adoption of the ASEAN Charter in 2007, ASEAN established the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) as an ASEAN human rights body. AICHR was inaugurated by virtue of the Cha-Am Hua Hin Declaration on AICHR at the 15th ASEAN Summit in 2009. The establishment of AICHR demonstrates the region’s commitment to promoting and strengthening regional cooperation on human rights. As part of ASEAN’s commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights1, the United Nations Charter, the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action as well as other international human rights instruments, the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration was adopted by the ASEAN Leaders in November 2012 to further enhance ASEAN’s commitment to human rights cooperation in the region.
-converted.webp)
-converted.webp)
History of Human Rights in ASEAN. Available from https://aichr.org/about-aichr-2
The first AICHR Regional Dialogues on the Mainstreaming of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the ASEAN Community in 2015 marked the commencement of Japan and ASEAN cooperation on human rights. Guided by the Five-Year Work Plan of AICHR, Japan and ASEAN continue working hand in hand to address priority areas on human rights based on the Terms of References of AICHR.
Areas of Support and Key Contributions
JAIF’s support to human rights is well reflected in the projects implemented by AICHR, including a series of five AICHR Regional Dialogues on the Mainstreaming of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the ASEAN Community organised from 2015 to 2019. Japan’s continued support to the AICHR Regional Dialogues culminated in the development of the ASEAN Enabling Masterplan 2025: Mainstreaming the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which was adopted at the 33rd ASEAN Summit in November 2018. The Enabling Masterplan 2025 complements the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and serves as a key instrument in mainstreaming the rights of persons with disabilities across all three pillars of the ASEAN Community. It fosters ASEAN Member States’ commitment towards an inclusive community. The followings are the key contributions of completed JAIF projects to the implementation of the Five-Year Work Plan of AICHR (2016-2020).
JAIF Flagship Project under Human Rights
Ms. Metta Thippawong from Lao PDR is one of the participants in the 2019 AICHR Regional Dialogue on the Mainstreaming of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the ASEAN Community (Gender Perspectives on Disability Rights) who shared her experiences from the Dialogue, the current status of human rights of persons with disabilities in Lao PDR and her hopes for the future.
At the 2019 AICHR Regional Dialogue, where gender perspectives in the rights of persons with disabilities were the main theme, over 120 people from different sectors participated, including policy makers, government officials, law enforcement agencies, private companies, academics, and other partners. Over the course of three days, the participants discussed the topics of women with disabilities and political rights, gender perspectives and justice system, disaster preparedness and management for women and girls with disabilities, inclusive education for women and girls with disabilities, and mainstreaming gender and disability rights in business.
Metta Thippawong, who attended the Dialogue from Lao PDR, takes a lead in the Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise (COPE) as a Program Manager. She also has a physical disability and is passionate about helping other people with disabilities to live better lives.
In Lao PDR, most women and girls customarily engage in domestic activities in both urban and rural settings, and the status of women and girls with disabilities, in particular, is low in the community. They have difficulty in accessing education and rehabilitation services. They also cannot go out of home unless accompanied by a family member because of a prejudice remaining in communities. “As a result, women and girls with disabilities are unable to participate in education and livelihood activities, and their household income is reduced, leading to a vicious circle in which their lives become even more difficult,” Metta explains.
The Dialogue provided the participants with an opportunity to visit the Asia-Pacific Center on Disability (APCD) in Bangkok, which is implementing various capacity-building activities supported by JAIF. The participants observed the leadership training offered to organisations of persons with disabilities (OPD) at the centre and learned a lot about disability-inclusion activities from the professionals with disabilities working there.
Metta (front row third from left) and the 2019 AICHR Regional Dialogue participants pose for a group photo.
© AICHR Thailand
Following the Dialogue, a local organisation called the Disability Mainstreaming Advisory Service (DMAS) Center was established to lead the Lao OPD to implement the ASEAN Enabling Masterplan 2025. Metta was delighted to witness a tangible step forward in her country. In establishing the DMAS Center, learnings acquired from APCD were utilised on providing training and educating people about mainstreaming the rights of persons with disabilities in all spheres of the community and policies. The work of the DMAS Center has given the Lao OPD a deeper understanding of the 76 key action points in the Masterplan that supports access to education, politics, and economy for people with disabilities. Read more on her story in Beneficiaries’ Voice.
Japan continues to extend its support to the Five-Year Work Plan of the AICHR 2021-2025. Under the new Work Plan, AICHR and Japan held two interface meetings and identified Business and Human Rights as the new area of cooperation.
1 The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a milestone document in the history of human rights. Drafted by representatives with different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world, the Declaration was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 (General Assembly resolution 217 A) as a common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations. Source: https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights
Our Flagship Project
Mainstreaming the Rights of Persons with Disabilities with Gender Perspectives in ASEAN
Various efforts have been made in recent years to promote the rights and equal opportunities of persons with disabilities and improve policies and regulations in all spheres of a people-centered and people-oriented ASEAN Community. One of them is the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) Regional Dialogues on the Mainstreaming of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the ASEAN Community, which have been implemented with the support from the Government of Japan through the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF) and other dialogue partners. The AICHR Regional Dialogues have been conducted since 2015 with the most recent Dialogue held in December 2021. Discussions at the Regional Dialogues contributed to the development and implementation of the ASEAN Enabling Masterplan 2025: Mainstreaming the Rights of Persons with Disabilities adopted at the 33rd ASEAN Summit in 2018.
Dr. Arunee Limmanee from Thailand and Ms. Metta Thippawong from Lao PDR are the participants in the 2019 AICHR Regional Dialogue on the Mainstreaming of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the ASEAN Community (Gender Perspectives on Disability Rights) who shared their experiences from the Dialogue, the current status of human rights of persons with disabilities in their respective countries, and their hopes for the future.
Arunee Limmanee, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Social Administration at Thammasat University, also serves as Advisor to the Association of the Physically Handicapped of Thailand (APHT) and the Chair of the Department of Children, Youth and Women with Disabilities at Disabilities Thailand (DTH). Being physically disabled herself, she has been volunteering as an advocate for access to transportation for people with disabilities since her student days. After obtaining her master’s degree in social work in the United States, she became a staff member of the APHT, promoting human rights of persons with disabilities on a daily basis by helping the mobility impaired, physically disabled, especially social minorities, and people with special needs.
At the 2019 AICHR Regional Dialogue, where gender perspectives in the rights of persons with disabilities were the main theme, over 120 people from different sectors participated, including policy makers, government officials, law enforcement agencies, private companies, academics, and other partners. Over the course of three days, the participants discussed the topics of women with disabilities and political rights, gender perspectives and justice system, disaster preparedness and management for women and girls with disabilities, inclusive education for women and girls with disabilities, and mainstreaming gender and disability rights in business.
Looking back on the Dialogue, Arunee says that the opportunity to meet with the stakeholders from diverse sectors in ASEAN countries to share their experiences once a year is invaluable in getting new ideas.
“When hearing about disabilities, many people turn their attention to ministries and agencies related to social welfare, but the issue of people with disabilities is not limited to social welfare and medical care but affects all sectors, such as business, politics, education, and labour.” She points out that this fact is often overlooked in the eyes of people without disabilities. The Dialogue brought together experts from a wide range of fields and featured interesting discussions from different perspectives that are not often in the spotlight, such as disaster preparedness and management.
The Thai Government has adopted and implemented a number of laws, regulations, and policies for persons with disabilities, including the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2006. However, there are gaps in the implementation of these laws and policies, Arunee explains.
For example, there is a government service where people can seek rehabilitation and treatments free of charge. However, people with disabilities living in rural areas have to sacrifice their daily incomes to travel to service centres in the city where they can receive treatments. APHT provides wheelchairs to children with mobility impairments. However, the support does not help as initially expected. Schools are not accessible by wheelchair because they are located too far from their homes and the roads are not paved. She points out that there are tremendous gaps in available services and information, especially between urban and rural areas.
The biggest problem, according to Arunee, is that women with disabilities are hardly involved in policy and decision-making processes in Thailand and there are no women with disabilities in the parliament. Because of their disabilities and they are female, they face double discriminations. There are more obstacles for women and girls with disabilities living in rural areas. “The quickest way to help these people is for a member of parliament representing women with disabilities to speak directly to policy makers,” she claims. “It is high time that we defend our own rights instead of relying on others.”
Arunee stood for an election to the Upper House, passed the local and national elections, but was defeated in the final selection by the Election Commission. Her challenge continues to deliver the voices of women with disabilities to the parliament.