United Nation’s Economic and Social Commission for Asia-Pacific (UNESCAP) comprising member States of the Asia-Pacific region, decided on 23 May 2012 to proclaim a new Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities for the period 2013 to 2022 through the adoption of a historic resolution. This resolution is available at the website <http://www.unescapsdd.org/disability/meeting-document/resolution-asian-and-pacific-decade-persons-disabilities-2013-2022>
. The resolution, which was sponsored by the Government of the Republic of Korea and co-sponsored by the Governments of Australia, Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Solomon Islands, and Thailand, was unanimously adopted by the Commission.
The new decade will be launched in Incheon at the High-level Intergovernmental Meeting on the Final Review of the Implementation of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 2003-2012, 29 October to 2 November 2012.
The aim of the new decade is to protect, promote and ensure the rights of persons with disabilities by Making the Right Real. This is a very exciting period for the estimated 650 million persons with disabilities in the Asia-Pacific Region. Let’s all work together to achieve our common objective.