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TWGDC - Terms of Reference

Background

In 1996, the Regional Interagency Committee for Asia and the Pacific (RICAP) Subcommittee on Disability-related Concerns replaced the former Asia-Pacific Inter-organizational Task Force on Disability-related Concerns, which had been established in 1986. At the Regional Coordination Meeting held in Bangkok on 25 April 2000, RICAP and its 14 Subcommittees were abolished. Thematic Working Groups replaced the RICAP Subcommittees. One such is the Thematic Working Group on Disability-related Concerns (TWGDC).


Objectives

The overall objectives of the TWGDC are to:

  1. Promote multisectoral collaborative action directed at the inclusion of disability concerns in all mainstream development policies, programmes and projects.

  2. Promote policies and legislation for the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities, in consonance with existing regional and global mandates.

  3. Strengthen interorganizational coordination and operational linkages at all levels to include persons with disabilities as visible target participants and beneficiaries in development programmes and projects for all social groups.

  4. Promote joint action, including contributing substantive funding and other resources in support of the planning, organization and conduct of major regional events for the full participation and equality of persons with disabilities.

  5. Promote inter-country technical cooperation in support of building national and local capabilities on disability-related concerns.

  6. Disseminate widely at all levels and in appropriate formats, through partners and networks of respective TWGDC members, information on the status of disability-related mandates, and forthcoming global and regional events.

  7. Promote the transfer of learning between the various regions, and the African region in particular, with a view to minimising duplication of effort and maximising international cooperation and achievement.


Organization

Name:      Thematic Working Group on Disability-related Concerns

Chair:       ESCAP      Co-chair:      FAO, JSRPD, RI, RNN

Members:

  1. United Nations bodies and specialized agencies that have expressed interest in participation.

  2. Concerned semi-autonomous disability-related bodies

  3. Concerned intergovernmental bodies

  4. Concerned non-governmental bodies (NGO)

  5. Concerned governments


Functions

  1. The UN agencies, NGOs and governments that are involved in the TWGDC will discuss areas of mutual concern in the light of their respective programmes of work relating to disability-related matters and develop a regional and/or sub-regional advocacy and work agenda for joint action, which is cost-effective and results-oriented.

  2. The TWGDC shall deal with specific issues, with appropriate sunset-clause provisions.

  3. The Social Development Division, ESCAP, will provide the technical and secretariat support to the TWGDC. To address new dimensions of issues faced by persons with disabilities, and to harness the multidisciplinary advantage of ESCAP, in-house inter-divisional and inter-sectional collaboration will continue to be actively sought and strengthened. While all ESCAP Divisions and Sections are welcome to attend meetings of the TWGDC, the following are dialogue partners and contributors to an inter-divisional ESCAP perspective in deliberations on specific issues:
  1. Environment and Natural Resources Development Division (Space Technology Applications Section);

  2. Trade and Industry Division (Industry Section; Trade Promotion and Facilitation Section);

  3. Population and Rural and Urban Development Division (ESCAP-UNCHS Joint Section on Human Settlements;

  4. Statistics Division (Statistics Development Section);

  5. Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific;

  6. Transport, Communications, Tourism and Infrastructure Development Division (General Transport, Coordination and Communications Section; Tourism Unit).
  1. To facilitate the development of cooperative arrangements to reduce the social, physical and economic barriers to the full participation and equality of people with disabilities, special emphasis will be placed on:
  1. Social mobilization and awareness raising;

  2. Promotion of programmes of prevention of disabilities;

  3. Promotion of disabled persons' access to rehabilitation, assistive devices, basic services, information and communication technology, import and other tax exemptions, copyright exemption, and free postage for all disability-specific materials used by persons who are disabled.

  4. Promotion of disabled persons' access to all UN premises and programmes by removing architectural, communication and other handicapping barriers.

  5. NGO's to encourage Governments to participate in TWGDC

  6. Strengthening self-help groups/community-based rehabilitation

  7. Promotion of disabled persons' participation in decision- making and poverty alleviation programmes in urban and rural areas, aiming at self-help capacity building.

  8. Participation of disabled persons in the monitoring of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC); Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and Beijing Platform for Action; Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action; Dakar Framework for Action on EFA; and HABITAT Agenda and Istanbul Declaration.

  9. Strong promotion of a call for action to all concerned with equality and human dignity, to join together in widespread efforts embracing national capitals, towns and cities, remote villages and United Nations forums, to ensure the adoption of an international convention on the rights of all people with disabilities to full participation and equality in society.

  1. TWGDC may convene task forces in order to facilitate its work.

  2. The TWGDC will review the above TOR mid-2002 and develop a prospective plan of action to be taken after the end of the Decade at year end 2002.


Sunset Clause

The first term of the TWGDC will run from December 2000 through the successful convening of the regional meeting to conclude the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons.


Reporting

The Thematic Working Group on Disability-related Concerns will report to the Heads of Agencies Meeting (HOAM), and the Regional Coordination Meeting (RCM) as required.