In August 2018, the General Election Network for Disability Access (AGENDA), a creative partnership of disabled people's organizations (DPOs) and election-focused civil society organizations in Southeast Asia founded by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), conducted interviews with disability rights advocates who attended a meeting of the Task Force on Mainstreaming Persons with Disabilities. The Task Force, which is organized by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Intergovernmental Human Rights Commission (AICHR), is drafting an action plan to mainstream disability rights in ASEAN sectoral bodies. AGENDA is providing support to the Task Force with the support of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
A transcript of the interview is available below:
I hope this masterplan will include, you know, all work, like a government and organization with people with disabilities and, you know, other society organization and include private sectors to include every work in the enabling masterplan. So this is my… my perspective.
I think the main role of the DPO should be, we are the one can be joy or use the masterplan, and, a… own of our work, I mean the work who develop disabled people should include in the masterplan role.
DPO should be included in the mechanism of the… you know… the working of masterplan, and DPO themselves, a… should… a… actively on working by the a.. the plan.
DPO and government will have fit with this arrange the same with others declarations or plan, because this is the new plan for, you know, until 2025,yeah… it will have some challenges, and another think it I think is because of the different country we are different style, but the masterplan is plan for everybody for every country, every ASEAN country, so, whenever each country, they use the masterplan, it should have some challenges. However, I think every country or DPO can adapt or use this masterplan smoothly.
If we can use this masterplan smoothly and continuously, it will make us change a lot, if you follow the very good plan, and you know it will improve ourselves especially people with disabilities and DPO organization. We are going to develop, develop the future by following this plan, this masterplan 2025.