In September 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:
It is about how the government in all countries implements [the Masterplan] for people with disabilities to have better rights.
DPO and ADF [ASEAN Disability Forum] all articles of the ASEAN Masterplan to be implemented in each country as the member of the ASEAN.
DPO can implement the ASEAN Masterplan with the government… with pushing the government at the national level to know and understand the ASEAN Masterplan and bring it into the realization by more people.
The people and the government… because that the ASEAN Masterplan, that is the first, and this is new, since this is new, in the first time of the implementation.
The change I would like to see is that the DPO, the government, and all stakeholders will work together to implement the ASEAN Masterplan and I want to see people with disabilities have a better right.