Guiding Principles of the MSALVA Task Force on Disability Issues (1995-6)

1. All recommendations should be studied in the light of three main time frames:
   
   
   1. Remedial: the problem exists now; what can we do now, and how?
   2. Developmental: things will change in the future; how do we want them to change?
   3. Preventative: if the problem is preventable, how do we go about preventing it?
   
   
   
2. The specific economic, cultural and social conditions of Cambodia should always be considered.
   
   
3. Emphasis must be given to the long-term sustainability of all forms of services and support.
   
   
4. Disabled people and their families must be given the opportunity by Task Force and Sub-Committee members to participate in the formulation of the National Plan.
   
   
5. Special consideration should be given to:
   
   
   • Programmes addressing the needs of disabled women.
   • The development of community-based services for disabled people.
   • Programmes which emphasise the development of public awareness concerning the rights of disabled people, and the promotion of positive attitudes towards disabled people in the community.
   • Initiatives which increase the capacity of the disabled people to help themselves and each other, through the development of skills in needs identification, planning, decision-making, and project management.
   
   
6. All programmes, whether centre-based or community-based, must have the principle of integration built into the plan. Programmes which hinder economic, cultural and social integration of disabled people should be de-emphasised.
   
   
7. Programmes which lead to the empowerment of disabled people should be favoured over those which create dependency. Therefore, disabled people should be involved in designing, planning, and implementing programmes which affect them, as far as possible, at every stage.
   
   
8. All programmes should demonstrate the relevance of the services and support they offer to the needs identified by disabled people themselves.
   
   
9. The National Plan should strive for an equitable distribution of resources, regardless of type of disability, age, gender, religion, or political affiliation.
   
   
10. Human resource development, capacity building, and training of government and non-government staff should be a priority at all levels.
    
    
11. The problem of discrimination should be addressed through cross-disability initiatives which emphasise the common experience of discrimination rather than the individual's impairment.
    
    
12. The plan should promote the participation of disabled people in mainstream governmental and non-governmental initiatives targeted at the general population.
    
    
13. The plan should promote inclusion of the need for legislation concerning disability, the rights of disabled people, and the role of disabled people in formulating such legislation.
    
    
14. The plan should adhere to the UN Standard Rules for Equalisation of Opportunities for Disabled Persons, and the ESCAP Proclamation on the Rights of Disabled Persons, signed by the Co-Prime Ministers of the Kingdom of Cambodia.