THE PACIFIC REGIONAL STRATEGY
ON DISABILITY A PACIFIC RESPONSE
TO THE CRPD




Common challenges and lack of available resources
at the national level warrants a regional approach to
disability in the Pacific.
The PRSD provides a strong rationale for
regionalism by identifying specific areas where a
cooperative regional approach will support national
action.
The PRSD builds on work to date and takes a
Pacific-specific approach.
The CRPD is the foundation for the PRSD
Development



The PRSD is as a response to the Leaders 2009
Communiqué after their meeting in Cairns in Australia,
including their expression of commitment to a regional
approach to disability inclusive development.
The close relationship between PIFS, and the PDF enabled
a collaborative approach to be taken to the development of
clear action plans, roles and monitoring processes in
relation to this relationship.
The effective working relationships between PIFS and
multilateral agencies such as UNESCAP, ILO and
UNOCHR, which have an active interest and engagement
in disability issues, have ensured a coherent and inclusive
planning process.
Process






The development process
Since 2009, PIFS has been determining how best it can support Forum
Island countries to meet the objectives included in PRSD
Resulting in a proposal prepared by the Disability Coordination Officer
(DCO) at PIFS, endorsed by PIFS Secretary General, and submitted to
AusAID in February 2011.
The proposal, based on the PRSD, reflected extensive planning about the
role of PIFS in supporting Forum Island Country Governments in its
implementation.
In March 2011, AusAID appointed a design specialist to work with PIFS to
provide additional information to meet AusAID’s “quality at entry”
requirements.
Discussions between the design specialist and the DCO in April 2011
revealed a number of additional ways to strengthen the proposal. This
revised proposal document was then endorsed by PIFS.
Pacific Regional Context




Approximately 800,000 Pacific Island people with disabilities.
Recent census results and national surveys do not provide a clear
and accurate picture of the situation of persons with disabilities
There is a need to improve quality research and data on the
prevalence of disability and the issues affecting the lives of persons
with disabilities in the Pacific region.
Inclusion International surveys in Kiribati in 2003-2004 and
identified 4.36% of the population as living with a disability; while
another survey in the island of ‘Eua in Tonga in 2007, showed a
percentage of 13%. A similar survey in Samoa revealed an
incidence of disability of 2.2%. The 1996 Fiji census included a
question on disability and 12,000 or 2% of the population identified
as having a disability.
The Challenges







The number of persons with disabilities is increasing
They face prejudice, discrimination and rejection.
Children with disabilities are consistently excluded
from attending school
Health and welfare service provision is poor and
largely inaccessible to persons with disabilities
Employment opportunities are few.
Implementation of services tends to be ad hoc,
uncoordinated and poorly funded.
Governments are not making provision for disability
services and inclusive policies in their budgets.
Women with disabilities



A recent UNDP study found that throughout the Pacific
region, in both rural and urban areas, women and girls
with disabilities face multiple and compounding forms
of discrimination.
Despite some helpful laws, policies and systems of
practice in some countries, women with disabilities are
less educated, experience higher rates of
unemployment, are more likely to be abused, are
poorer, are more isolated, experience worse health
outcomes and generally have lower social status.
Concern regarding women with disabilities is a priority
area of the CRPD.
Pacific Plan



At the 2003 Pacific Islands Forum, the leaders of Pacific
Island countries endorsed the BMF as providing a set of
goals for Pacific countries to work towards over the next
ten years.
Pacific Island leaders adopted the Pacific Plan in 2005.
The overall emphasis of the plan is to create stronger and
deeper links between the sovereign countries of the region.
Disability progress and development is reflected in
Initiative 12.5 of this plan. A disability desk has been set up
in the Forum secretariat for the purpose of coordinating the
development and progress of disability initiatives in the
Forum island countries.
Forum Leaders support




In 2009 Forum Leaders reiterated their support for people
with disabilities and reaffirmed the need for more attention
to be directed to the most disadvantaged group who are
among the poorest and most vulnerable.
They acknowledged that people with disability face many
barriers to full participation in society.
Leaders further noted that the PRSD should focus attention
on the need to address issues facing persons with
disabilities in the Pacific,
To build greater awareness on the importance of allowing
access to greater and more equitable opportunities to
enhance their quality of life and full enjoyment of all
inalienable human rights.
Consultation



The PRSD was initially developed by the PIFS and the consultation
process was well supported by the United Nations Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), the Pacific Disability
Forum (PDF), United Nations Office of the Commissioner for Human
Rights (UNOCHR) and the Foundation of the Peoples of the South Pacific
(FPSI). Forum Island Countries (FICs) also provided input in November
2008 during a meeting for government disability focal points.
The Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and the
New Zealand Aid Program (NZAID) participated in the 2010 meetings and
provided significant feedback during the 2009 consultation process.
Inclusive in all these were the consultations done with disabled persons
and their organisations at their regional meetings in Samoa in 2007,
Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Kiribati and Cook Islands in 2008; Papua New
Guinea, Fiji, Tonga and Tuvalu in 2009.
Endorsement



The PRSD was formally endorsed at the Forum
Disability Ministers’ Meeting (FDMM) in October
2009.
The ministers also endorsed the development of a
detailed implementation plan and Monitoring and
Evaluation (M & E) Framework which is contained
within this document.
The report of this meeting was fully endorsed by
the Leaders’ meeting in August in Vanuatu in 2010.
The purposes



Support Pacific Island Forum member countries to
protect and promote the rights of persons with
disabilities;
Provide a framework for the coordination of
development partners, governments and civil society in
building a disability inclusive Pacific; and
Strengthen commitment of all stakeholders towards
implementation of the Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities and other human rights
instruments which/that relate to disability.
Thematic Areas



The Strategy identifies thematic areas that would most effectively
advance the rights of Pacific persons with disability and ensure
their participation in national development processes. The proposed
thematic areas are those that can be realistically addressed by
countries.
Under each thematic area are selected indicative areas for actions
designed to provide guidance to countries in regard
to how they might address their own priorities and commitments.
These activities are also to facilitate coordination with other
regional frameworks, such as the Pacific Education Development
Framework (PEDF), which includes students with special
educational needs and inclusive education as a cross-cutting theme.
Thematic Area 1: Strengthen Political Leadership and an Enabling
Environment









Advocate for the signing, ratification, implementation and monitoring of the
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)
Advocate for the establishment of National Councils for Persons with Disabilities
and advisory committees with clear terms of reference in all FICs
Develop and/or strengthen disability policy and legislation
Allocate funds in all key budget areas for disability inclusive policies and
programs;
Encourage regional organisations to integrate disability issues into their
mainstream programs
Work with Ministries of Education to encourage and promote inclusive education
Work with Ministries of Health, including increasing awareness of noncommunicable diseases, accident prevention, avoidable impairments, rehabilitation
and counseling
Build increasing awareness on disabilities; and
Advocate for the signing and ratification of the International Labor Organisation
Convention 159 (ILO 159).
Thematic Area 2: Recognition and Protection of the Human Rights
of Persons with Disabilities






Advocate for the recognition of the human rights of persons with
disabilities as reflected in the CRPD
Utilize national, regional and international human rights
declarations and agreements to develop national policies and
legislation for persons with disabilities
Collaborate with development partners for the sustainable funding
of human rights training for persons with disabilities
Collaborate with major stakeholders to implement training on the
human rights approach to issues facing persons with disabilities
Strengthen and support national human rights advocacy
Critically analyse indigenous rights and responsibilities frameworks
to integrate with and harmonise with universal human rights
principles.
Thematic Area 3:
Collaboration




Strengthen Partnerships: Coordination and
Establish and/or strengthen communication and
coordination between Governments and Disabled Persons
Organisations
Ensure coordinated efforts between local, national and
international development partners
Strengthen partnerships for the implementation of the
regional strategy
Promote and support regional and national initiatives in the
prevention of avoidable disability, in particular in
addressing and raising awareness of preventable blindness;
traffic injuries; sports and work place injuries and advocate
for greater awareness of the relationship between noncommunicable diseases and disabilities
Thematic Area 4:










Disability Inclusive Development
Support Forum Island Governments to include disability-related
concerns into:
National and sector planning and resourcing
Disaster planning including evacuation plans;
Food security
Impacts of climate change
Sports, recreation and cultural activities
Education and training
Accessibility provisions in building codes and infrastructure
provision
National census, labour force and Household Income Expenditure
Surveys
Employment policies
Thematic Area 5:
Disabilities





Enhancing the Central Role of Persons with
Recognise the central role of persons with disabilities and their
organisations in addressing their issues
Support DPOs working with groups who are hard to reach
effectively especially in isolated atolls and islands, disaster prone
areas and those in inaccessible highlands
Advocate for the incorporation of disability issues in all national
and regional policies and programs on gender, youth and other
disadvantaged and vulnerable groups
Address the specific and different needs of youth, ageing segments
of the population, men and women, and children with disabilities.
PIFS recognises that this area of work is more a role for PDF, so
PIFS will support PDF’s efforts in this regard, as well as encourage
Forum Island governments to collaborate with DPOs in country, as
appropriate.
Thematic Area 6:






Mobilisation of Resources
Advocate for adequate allocation of funding for disability responses in the
national budgets
Explore the feasibility of establishing a regional funding mechanism for
specific disability issues
Encourage development partners to increase and sustain funding to support
responses to disability
Where possible, encourage Forum Island countries to establish a civil
service position with responsibilities for disability inclusive development
work
Establish a central information database of skilled individuals and
organisations available to provide technical support for disability
responses.
While this has been agreed by Forum Island Ministers, PIFS recognises it
may not be feasible in all countries for such a position to be dedicated
entirely to DID responsibilities in the timeframe and within national
resources.