Agenda

1. Introduce participants
2. Contents
   1. Background of WWDs issues in the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons 1993-2002
   2. WWDs in Biwako Millennium Frame Work - Strategies and targets (extracted from E/ESCAP/APDDP/4/Rev. 1 dated 8 November 2002
   3. Summary on WWDs in ESCAP Region, questions for participants

Summary of Activities

Firstly, our group discussed on three of these WWDs targets in BMF, and asked each of participants to converse their countries' situation and recommendation.

Targets

1. Governments should, by 2005, ensure anti-discrimination measures, where appropriate, which safeguard the rights of women with disabilities.
2. National self-help organization of PWDs should, by 2005, adopt policies to promote the full participation and equal representation of women with disabilities in their activities, including in management, organizational training and advocacy programmers.
3. Women with disabilities should, by 2005, be included in the membership of national mainstream women's associations

During our discussion we firstly focused on these three priority targets and then we made some questions for easy understanding, which can help us reach the targets. We did prepare five questions and asked the participants to explain their points in the content of their countries as well as in the Asian and Pacific Region.

Therefore, the participants did spotlight on the situations of the WWDs, especially, their discrimination at domestic and also at social levels. They felt that the WWDs issues should be focused on Gender perspective and have to incorporate more country and agency, who are directly involved with women and children issue. It was recommended that the Task Force members were encouraged to give the significant input to preparatory meeting and some networking in this issue in the Asian and Pacific Region.

Input from Each of Participants.

Bangladesh

1. From Bangladesh Farida represented this Task Force with her. Suggestion on having more active WWDs issues in the community level and making awareness among the family as well as the community people regarding the rights of girl and WWDs. Also, she recommended sensitizing the governmental and non-governmental organizations about the direct and indirect discrimination of WWDs.
2. To create national level committee in order to generate awareness and advocacy on WWDs, in cooperate with CEDAW convention to sensitizing the development of organizations and as well as government and its relevant departments. She informed that in the field of the WWDs the achievement of Bangladesh is not very good.

Lao

1. From Lao, Xoukiet reached this Task Force with recommendation that WWDs should create a very active movement, and start from them first gathering together, in order to make a movement for WWDs in their communities.
2. On the other hand, she also recommended that, sign language should be learnt among their families, in order that they can communicate with their children and as well as people in community should learn sign language, if there are any requirements from deaf people.

Thailand

1. The families of WWDs should have knowledge at the first step when their children were young in order to protect them from sexual abuse, and harassment. The Ministry of Education should add the subject about WWDs in the school so that both non-disabled and girls with disabilities will know the social problems, and will avoid any hazard. Also, non-disabled will acknowledge the equal rights of WWDs. Besides; the government should increase the potential of WWDss in order to be.
2. The government must legislate the law to protect human rights of WWDs and have strong punishment against the persons who violated them. It should have a fund for WWDs themselves, in order that the families can properly take care of them so that, they will have physical, social, economic development according to the rights and law releasing from the government.
3. Government should set up childcare centers for mothers who have children with disability while the parent go out for work As well as, government should set up a main WWDs organization for the forward to the next step of development to be self-help organization.

Recommendations

1. WWDs Task Force should be wider and more active.
2. Close co-ordination of WWDs Task Force and ESCAPE.
3. Establish close linkage between WWDs Task Force and other regional agency through ESCAP.

The following participants:

Ms Farida Yesmin	Disabled Rehabilitation & Research Association, Bangladesh
Dr Xoukiet Panyanouvong	Lao Disabled People's Association
Mrs Phoranee Louineau	Parent's Association of the Intellectually Impaired, Thailand
Ms. Panomwan Boontem	National Association of the Deaf in Thailand Mr Yasutaka FujitaNational Association of the Deaf in Thailand
Mr Kitichai Neatpisanvanich	DPI A/P, Thailand
Ms Poungpet Limpisuree	Sign Language Interpreter, NADT