I.C.E.V.I.
QUINQUENNIUM 1997- 2002
ISSUE-III AUGUST, 2001

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The UN General Assembly Special Session this year is an unprecedented meeting dedicated to children and adolescents. Government leaders and Heads of State, NGOs, children's advocates and young people themselves will meet from September 19 - 21, 2001 at the United Nations in New York. It is an important follow-up to the 1990 World Summit for Children.

The Third PrepCom met in New York from June 28 - 29, during which delegations succeeded in completing a run-through of the draft, "A World Fit for Children", agreeing on the easier paragraphs but approximately one third of the document was bracketed for further review. Little progress was made in ensuring that the special needs of children and youths with disabilities were given the priority they deserves.

The only chance of highlighting the needs of the disabled population in the final UN document is to move heaven and earth to lobby Country Representatives to demand that this be done at UNGASS next month. If the UN and its Member States are sincere about planning for A World Fit for Children in this 21^st Century, then, surely, it must include specific reference to the existence of the millions of disabled children and youths, especially in the developing countries, so that their special needs are also automatically provided for in mainstream country planning and programme development!

We are banking on our friend and colleague, Mr Bengt Lindqvist, to be given an opportunity by the Secretary General to present a short but strong case on behalf of the world's disabled children and youths. Moreover, I understand that the Canadian Government is hosting a special meeting on this issue prior to the commencement of UNGASS. I pray that this will further facilitate the specific inclusion of disability issues in the Conclusions & Recommendations of the Special Session on Children.

Disabled People's International attended this meeting and it is reported in Disability International Asia-Pacific Region Newsletter that "Disabled youth denounce exclusion from services". Although the focus of the meeting, which was held in Bangkok from 4-8 June, was on sexual and reproductive health, substance abuse and HIV/AIDS, it is most encouraging to note that there are at least three specific recommendations, which deal with disability issues in the final Report, as follows:

1 (k) Governments should pay special attention to vulnerable and marginalized groups (young women, youth with disabilities, migrant youth, school drop-outs, youth in poverty-stricken areas,…)

Specific information materials on sexual and reproductive health, substance abuse and HIV/AIDS should be developed for youth with special needs (for example, information materials in Braille for blind persons).

Below are recommendations that apply to all youth health-related issues.

1 (h) Governments should address the learning needs of young persons with disabilities, taking into consideration their physical access needs, as well as their needs for information in appropriate formats (e.g., Braille, diskettes, audiocassettes and videotapes);

The 2001 Annual Meeting of UNESCO's Collective Consultation of NGOs on Education for All (CCNGO/EFA) was held in Bangkok from July 12 - 14, 2001. Most unfortunately, the organisers sent the invitation so very late that not one of ICEVI's three Regional Chairpersons in Asia and the Pacific nor any of the Principal Officers could attend! However, the meeting was attended by personnel from a few organisations of and for Disability Persons. Several NGOs raised the issue of disability at the outset of the Seminar on Capacity Building for Asian NGOs on Implementing the Dakar Framework for Action but this was not taken up in the Draft Synthesis Report, except, for example, a reference to information being available in accessible formats for "diverse people (with provision for people with disabilities eg. Braille and signing). It is also very disappointing and sad that the call for mention that education is a human right of children and youth with disabilities, as well, was not taken up either.

As the Draft Synthesis Report was sent out for final comment by August 20, this was immediately circulated to the 8 ICEVI Regional Chairpersons and the Principal Officers for inputs direct to the CCNGO/EFA Secretariat.

In sharp and disappointing contrast to the successful inclusion of disability issues in the Youth Conference Recommendations quoted above, there is an obvious and urgent need to continue advocating to UNESCO for the inclusion of children and youth with disabilities in EFA initiatives so that, hopefully, in 2005 it may emerge as a major issue in any review process.

Is it not surprising that this has to be done with UNESCO, of all the UN Bodies and its Specialized Agencies, since Education is one of its major mandates and it was primarily responsible for The Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action on Special Needs Education?

Surely something is wrong somewhere! But "hope springs eternal in the human breast" and you will recall that, in the previous Newsline, we introduced you to a good colleague and supporter of the rights of disabled persons - Mr Kenneth Eklindh - who had been appointed at UNESCO to replace our dear friend, Ms Lena Saleh, who had retired. We trust that, with him at the helm to continue championing the cause of disabled persons within the relevant UNESCO departments which make the decisions on priorities and phrasing of official texts, further big strides forward can be made in step with mainstream EFA plans and programmes.

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