The Asian Regional Disability Summit, co-organized by the ASEAN Disability Forum (ADF) and the International Disability Alliance (IDA), with support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), UNICEF, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), and Inclusive Futures, is scheduled for 14–15 February 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand.
As part of the Regional Pre-Summits series for the GDS 2025, this summit aims to embed the GDS mechanism at the regional level by fostering collaboration with regional and local stakeholders. It seeks to address Asia’s unique challenges and opportunities for advancing disability inclusion while aligning the GDS themes and objectives with the region’s specific context.
The plenary sessions will focus on:
- Disability-inclusive development and international cooperation
- Gender equality and the inclusion of women and girls, including SRHR (sexual and reproductive health and rights)
- Poverty alleviation and disability-inclusive social protection
- Inclusive employment
- Climate change and disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction
- Access to health, including recovery in the aftermath of COVID-19
- Driving regional change by translating GDS commitments into action, reflecting on the Asian Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, and advancing the implementation of the CRPD in Asia
At the conclusion of the summit, the co-hosts plan to produce an outcome document to guide regional commitments for GDS. Stay tuned for the full agenda.
