The Consultative Workshop on Disability and Development Policies: Production of a Statement on Disability Sector
As mainstreaming disability in development plans/ policies is a new-derived project form, the NSDP Inclusive Committee was established since 2006 to work on the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper for inclusion of the disability into the National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP).
It was noted that the National Strategic Development Plan (2006-2010) is made little reference to disability issues, persons with disabilities and their organizations. In addition, the persons with disabilities themselves have not fully been aware of NSDP and thus they have not fully participated in the NSDP process.
In recognizance of this importance, the Disability Action Council (DAC) and Handicap International (HI-F) conducted a Consultative Workshop on August 15, 2008 at the World Vision Conference Hall. The purpose of the consultative workshop was:
- To promote an understanding of the National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP);
- To collect inputs from disability actors involving different sectoral issues such as education, health, employment, legislation, gender…;
- To produce monitoring outputs on disability, in which the disability actors are able to indicate the progress or positive issues and problems/ difficulties / negative issues between 2007 and 2008.
Please see the achievement of workshop...[Next Page]
International Day of Persons with Disabilities – 3 December
2008 Theme: "Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Dignity and Justice for all of us".
Dignity and justice for all of us is the theme of this year’s International Day for Persons with Disabilities, as well as for the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights...[Next Page]National Plan of Action-Close to completion
Meeting of the Land Mine Victim Steering Committee (LVASC), March 19-20, 2008
The Land Mine Victim Assistance Steering Committee met for a two-day workshop at the headquarters of the Disability Action Council with the aim at progressing the development of the National Plan of Action for Victim Assistance.The National Plan of Action aims to provide coordinated service provision for victims of accidents who suffer a disability. The Plan covers research, emergency medical care, physical rehabilitation, psychological support, education, economic integration, legislation and policy development.
H.E. Sam Sotha, Ambassador and Secretary General of the Cambodian Mine Action Authority opened the workshop by stressing the importance of the plan to the disabled, provided that it will focus on which services will be developed by a range of service providers. H.E went on to say that once completed he and H.E. Ith Sam Heng, Minister of MoSVY will sign it, prior to the plan being submitted to H.E. Deputy Prime Minister Sok An with a further submission to Prime Minister Samdach Akeak Mohasenapadei Thecho Hun Sen for approval.
Mr. Thong Vinal, Executive Director of the Disability Action Council estimated completion date for the plan to be May 2008. By then, final submission by all service providers will have been made.
The workshop was attended by 20 LVASC members and relevant stakeholders operating in the disability sector in Cambodia.The LVASC was established in December, 2006 by the Disability Action Council, with support from MoSVY and CMAA. The Steering Committee, chaired jointly by H.E. Sam Sotha and H.E. Sem Sokha, was officially recognized by the Royal Government of Cambodia in September 26, 2007.
The Steering Committee comprises of members from government, UN Agencies, INGOs, LNGOs and is mandated with drafting the National Plan of Action and coordinating the delivery of victim assistance services to those in need.CAMBODIA LAUNCHES UN CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABITIES AND ITS OPTIONAL PROTOCOL
March 13, 2008:-At the Cambodiana Hotel saw the official launch of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol. The convention, which was recently signed by the Royal Government of Cambodia, although not yet ratified, enshrined the rights of disabled persons to equal opportunities in every aspect of life.
The launch conducted by the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation (MoSVY), Disability Action Council (DAC), Cambodian Disabled People's Organization (CDPO), the National Center for Disabled Persons (NCDP), received support the International Labor Organization (ILO), the Office of the High Commission for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
The workshop was officially launched by H.E. Minister Ith Sam Heng, which stressed the importance the government ascribed to the content of the Convention. In detailing the progress currently underway in progressing the disability legislation, though the adoption process, the Minister stress the commitment of the Government to support all areas of service provision to those in need as shown by the support grown to the vocational training and physical rehabilitation sectors.In his paper detailing the role of the Convention in protecting the Human Rights of Persons with disabilities, Mr. James Turpin, OHCHR, praised the leadership shown by the Cambodia internationally by its approval of the draft legislation on disability, currently in progress.
The workshop was well supported by representatives from Government, NGOs, UN Agencies and other community organization and did more to raise awareness of the content of the convention and path that Cambodia needs to follow for its successful implementation. The launch was well attended by 103 representatives working in the disability arena.
The closing remarks of the workshop were delivered by Lok Chum Teav Hou Noun, Chair of the National Committee Social Affair's Commission.
South-East Asia EFA Mid-Term Policy Conference
18-21 February 2008 Jomtien, Thailand
TWG Members in attendance: Sheldon Shaeffer (UNESCO Bangkok); Kirk Person and Greg Dekker (SIL); Samphors Vorn, Darmiyanti Muchtar, Rene Raya and Cecilia Soriano (ASPBAE-GCE coalitions); Elizabeth Pearce (Save the Children USA, Viet Nam/Asia Region); Malcolm Hazelman (FAO); Cliff Meyers and Mita Gupta (UNICEF EAPRO); Jati Sugianto (UNESCO Jakarta); Sideth Dy Sam and Sun Lei (UNESCO Phnom Penh); Albert Motivans (UIS Montreal); Ko-Chih Tung, Abdul Hakeem, Johan Lindeberg, Ibtisam Abu-Duhou, Lhe Thu Houng, Takayo Ogisu, Maki Hayashikawa, Laura Katirayi, Nyi Nyi Thaung, Leotes Lugo Helin, Malisa Santigul and Norihide Furukawa (UNESCO Bangkok).
- Sheldon Shaeffer, Director, UNESCO Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau for Education opened the 20th meeting of the TWG on EFA, which was held at the sidelines of the South-East Asia EFA Mid-Term Policy Conference in Jomtien, Thailand. Following the self-introductions of TWG members in attendance, Sheldon gave a short background and history of the TWG noting there were a few first time participants. He also emphasized the key role that TWG members have played in supporting countries in the region undertaking the EFA Mid-Decade Assessment (MDA) and in reviewing draft national and sub-regional MDA reports
An update on the ongoing Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) policy review jointly undertaken with UNESCO Bangkok was given by Cliff Meyers, Regional Adviser-Education of UNICEF EAPRO. Eight countries in the region: China, Lao PDR, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, and the Philippines are participating in the policy review. A meeting was held in Bangkok in early February with senior policy makers attending. The review may possibly be expanded in 2008 to cover new countries. The Asia Regional Network for Early Childhood has also been established and a website will be launched soon. - Maki Hayashiwa, gender focal point of UNESCO Bangkok and Mita Gupta, gender focal point of UNICEF EAPRO, gave an update on activities related to the UN Girls' Education Initiative (UNGEI). The Global Advisory Committee (GAC) for UNGEI will hold its meeting in Nepal on the week of 9 June 2008 with the theme: equity, gender and quality. The focus will be areas where there is lack of information, and there is opportunity for information sharing. In relation to this, the East Asia and Pacific UNGEI has commissioned a study on gender issues on transition from school to work.
- The International Day Against Child Labour will be celebrated on 12 June. Madeleine Moss of the ILO Regional Office said this year's theme is on child labour and education, in particular highlighting the use of education to combat child labour. The ILO Geneva Office has prepared case studies, brochures and other information materials on child labour for distribution worldwide. In the region, the ILO Office will support countries to develop their own initiative/campaigns to mark the International Day Against Child Labour. An event is also being planned to commemorate the day in Bangkok and ILO is looking at possible joint activities with other agencies and organizations. A number of regional events will also coincide with the day, e.g. GAC in Nepal and the APEC Ministers Meeting in Peru, where side events to mark International Day Against Child Labour, can also be held. Madeleine requested other TWG members to inform ILO of other events happening around the same time and the possibility of co-organizing activities to mark the day.
- Ko-Chih Tung, UIS Regional Advisor for Asia-Pacific and AIMS Unit Chief, UNESCO Bangkok also informed the TWG that the Guidelines for the Asia and Pacific EFA Mid-Decade Assessment referred to as the Technical Guidelines is now being updated and finalized for publication. The Guidelines was developed to assist countries undertake the MDA and has been a work in progress. Members of the TWG on EFA have contributed greatly to its content. Now that the MDA is drawing to a close, the AIMS-UIS Unit, on behalf of the TWG on EFA, is updating the document to turn it into a useful reference for countries undertaking an EFA assessment throughout the rest of the decade and beyond 2015.
- Albert Motivans, Head of the Education Indicators and Data Analysis Section of UIS Montreal also have a briefing about UIS global activities related to EFA. Among the major projects of UIS in 2008 is the expansion of the World Education Indicators (WEI) project to cover two more countries in the region. WEI countries collect as much data as OECD countries and also work on special projects like school surveys. One of the latest WEI projects is a special survey on disadvantaged schools. Results of the survey will be released on the third week of March, including a database covering India, Malaysia, Philippines and Sri Lanka in Asia. As part of the WEI, a workshop for Asia will be held in November and UIS is looking for partners who can make presentations during the workshop
- The meeting had revised and validated of the Insular South-East Asia and Mekong EFA MDA Sub-regional Reports and integration of policy recommendations made by the Working Groups.
The main and long session for the meeting is to identification of critical issues in education that need to be addressed to meet EFA by 2015: in which group discussion was set up, such as : inclusive education and access, including expansion of pre-primary education and secondary education, gender and social equity, quality of education, literacy, mother tongue and language policies, EFA monitoring and evaluation, young peoples' and youth's role in advancing EFA.
Policy Recommendations for realization the EFA goals by 2015
- Shift the policy attention to children who are not in school. Introduce and promote the concept of "child seeking schools." Ensure accessibility of education services and facilities, especially for unreached, at-risk, and other disadvantaged children, youth and adults (girls and ethnic minority/ethno linguistic minority groups)
- Targeted financial support to disadvantaged children, youth and adults, including direct support to children of poor families, and incentives for disadvantaged groups for them to complete secondary education and/or attend NFE programmes. Policy for easier re-enrolment to formal system, especially for young parents.
- Inclusion of children and adults with disabilities; and policies to cover transition from school to work. Encourage countries to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities
- Eliminate direct and indirect school fees in basic education. Provide free services and alternative delivery modes (e.g. mobile teaching, learning modules, etc.)
Implement policies that permit and encourage the use of mother tongue in education, and acknowledge and support teachers to adapt textbooks and documents in the national language to the local language in the classroom (especially at the pre-primary to Grade 3 levels). Carry out or support studies that assess the impact of language of instruction on learning. Encourage the use local content in some subjects, where local knowledge is important.- Develop environments that support literacy practices. Conduct research and share information about literacy and lifelong learning best practices
- Clear policy framework that identifies the potential of the youth and their role to help achieve EFA, including the identification of a focal point for youth participation within the government and the establishment of National Councils of Young People who will meet in an annual Forum and comment on proposed government policy. This policy should also allot resources to support youth activities and stipulate the creation of Student Government/Councils in all schools, with a focal point in government; Hold regular dialogues with the youth sector
- Adopt and Adapt INEE minimum standards to address issues related to children in emergency situations
- Policy and implementation guidelines for NFE, TVET and higher education, including distance learning and a 'ladderized' approach. Policy framework (including implementation guidelines) on NFE equivalency in Primary, Lower Secondary and Upper Secondary, and its institutionalization within government and partners, including a separate budget
- Expanded budget for pre-schools attached to primary schools so that elder siblings can attend
- Institutionalize gender mainstreaming in the educational system. Ensure allocation of resources for promoting gender equality in education. Ensure gender-responsive teaching and learning processes and materials. Monitor and evaluate progress in mainstreaming gender in education systems (processes, achievements and outcomes)
- Utilization of SEAMEO Regional Centres for Training of Teachers
- RESOURCE ALLOCATION: Better allocation of and increased resources on teachers, funds, materials, improving the accessibility for the unreached. Mobilize/Allocate adequate resources in support of:
- inclusive education, including alternative delivery modes and alternative learning systems;
- promoting gender equality in education;
- mother tongue education and literacy efforts (3% of the overall education budget for adult literacy efforts)
- education monitoring and evaluation, particularly of the EFA National Action Plan
- Acknowledging that governments have limited resources, also look at innovative methods of delivering quality education for all as well as getting donors to increase support to education in developing countries. (Governments are encouraged to increase the allocation share for basic education; and strive to reach the desired level of 6 per cent of GNP, and 20 per cent of the national budget for education as a whole)
- Develop multi-year planning and budgeting process that would assure budget predictability (e.g.MTEF).
- Develop a framework of operation that would assure linkage of policies, planning, and budgeting (programme-based budgeting). Undertake regional research and capacity building in the methodology that assure the linkage between policy, planning, and budgeting and implementation for EFA.
- Promote decentralization based on child's rights (UNCRC). Get the involvement of civil society and the community in the budget processes within the framework of decentralization of the governance of basic education
- DATA/ INFORMATION AVAILABILITY: Policy to address coordination and harmonization of resources and activities by governments and partners in the collection of EFA-relevant information, including mapping to identify children excluded from schooling or learning; collection of sex-disaggregated data; mapping of key partners active in youth participation (form an alliance of these partners)
- Acknowledgement of the validity of data provided by external sources, including from CSOs, community organizations
- Establishment of a common platform for the compilation and dissemination of EFA-related information.
- Full utilization of ICT solutions to compile/share information.
- The establishment of national mechanisms for the effective monitoring and evaluation of EFA, including setting up and/or strengthening of the National EFA Forum, the role of the national EFA Coordinator, and sub-national entities with mandate to coordinate data collection and compilation across relevant ministries and other stakeholders
- Developing national capacities at all levels of the system with regard to systematic monitoring of the goals and targets of EFA, and the dissemination and utilization of EFA relevant information and ensuring provision of sufficient human resources for basic monitoring of the education system
- Conducting dedicated and regular household surveys on education to better understand key issues of the education system, including the un-reached adults, and school-aged children and youth, through government funding as well as support from development partners. Ensuring that adequate questions on education and literacy are included in relevant and regular household surveys undertaken by the National Statistics Office.
- PARTNERSHIPS and ADVOCACY: Strengthen partnerships between the government, community, NGOs, and the private sector to reach out to the excluded. Mobilize a wide range of stakeholders in a coordinated manner to campaign for the realization of EFA. Need for advocacy among policy makers. Encourage information sharing among South-East Asian countries in relation to experiences in education.
