Building disability-inclusive societies in Asia and the Pacific

One in every six persons in Asia and the Pacific has some form of disability. This amounts to 650 million men, women and children. The number is expected to rise over the next decades due to population ageing, natural disasters, chronic health conditions, road traffic injuries, poor working conditions and other factors. This publication presents the region and world with the first regional comprehensive progress report on participation of persons with disabilities in development opportunities. It derives its substance from the midpoint review of the current Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2013-2022, and the implementation of the Incheon Strategy to “Make the Right Real” for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific. It provides policymakers across different ministries, as well as civil society and persons with disabilities, with the chance to reflect on the current status of disability-inclusive development in the region, and set forward a path ensuring that persons with disabilities are included and empowered across all dimensions of sustainable development.