Policy Directive: To enhance the sharing of information and experience on the
advancement of people with disabilities and to strengthen their effectiveness in advocacy at regional and international forums.
Government recognizes that in order to fulfil its commitment to promote the full and equal participation of persons with disabilities in national development, it cannot be done by Government only: Persons with disabilities themselves, NGOs, donor partners, regional bodies and international agencies are keys to the success of any Government programme.
Sharing of experiences and information and lessons learned elsewhere is also a key to advancing the status of persons with disabilities. As a member of the Forum, experiences from countries more developed in the disability field than Vanuatu offer one avenue for regional cooperation. Also as a member of the Forum, such regional cooperation through the endorsement of the BMF has set a stage for further cooperation. However, as most Pacific Island Governments are now just beginning to incorporate disability into their national plans, collaboration with national and regional NGOs is also important.
Already the Government has collaborated with the Asian Development Centre on Disability in 2003 with the result that the national policy directives were formulated and approved in 2004; in 2005 Government collaborated with UN ESCAP which provided a national perspective on service to persons with disabilities and supported the formulation of the National Disability Committee; its collaboration with PWD Australia and DPA saw Vanuatu supporting a person with disability during the negotiation of the UN Disability Convention. As a member of the Forum, Vanuatu has supported the inclusion of the BMF in the Pacific Plan. In this regard, the Forum held the.
Support from the Forum Secretariat saw the staging of the first ever Government/NGO interaction at the Regional Disability Seminar in 2005. Regional disability programmes already exist with donor partners in this region. Collaboration with donor partners therefore is most essential to the successful implementation of this Policy.
Monitoring and dissemination of timely reports on the progress of implementing this Policy nationally to stakeholders across the board is vital. Placement of the National Disability Policy and other materials on the Government website or the PRISM website is one possible venue that can be considered. Adopting the policy into an easy-to-read format and translating it into Bislama must be a priority. Inclusion of the status of persons with disabilities in national reports such as the MDG, and reports on Conventions such as the CRC and CEDAW is a duty.
For these actions and other actions outlined in the National Disability Policy, each Ministry and line Departments should identify the most relevant agencies both nationally and regionally to assist with achieving their specific targets. This collaborative spirit to partner with NGOs to promote an issue on the national or even local level already exists within each department. Now it is time to extend that collaborative spirit to disability organizations, human rights bodies, education agencies, architectural businesses, legislators, donor partners, NGOs and many others within the region to ensure that the goal of promoting an inclusive, barrier-free and rights-based society in Vanuatu is fulfilled.
Key Strategies
i. To collaborate with partners both internally and externally to promote rights of persons with disabilities;
Key Actions
Learn from experiences of similar countries on how they incorporate disability into national development plans such as the inclusive education strategy in Papua New Guinea;
Seek donor support for research and development; Share development on disability on the regional website;
Translate the Policy, UN Convention and other relevant documents into Bislama; Ensure that national reports contain reports on the status of persons with disability. Key Indicators
Line ministries identify experiences from similarly placed countries such as Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Fiji best suited to their specific target areas as an ongoing exercise. Donor support for the implementation of the Policy is obtained by 2009.
Information of disability is placed on the PRISM website by 2009.
National Disability Policy and Plan of Action is translated into Bislama by 2008.
REFERENCES
The following are some of the main resources materials used to develop this Policy. APCD. (2004). Vanuatu. Country Profile on Persons with Disabilities: A White Paper. APCD. (2004). APCD Mission Report. Empowerment. Volume 7, April 2004.
Disabled Peoples‟ International (Oceania Sub-region). [2001]. Leadership Training Seminar Report
Book 2, Fiji: DPI (Oceania), pps. 69-93.
Disability Promotion & Advocacy Association. “Promoting Rights and Abilities of Persons with Disability”. Report prepared for the Disabled People‟s International (Oceania Sub Regional Office) 1st
Leadership Training Seminar, 27-31 August 2001, in Disabled Peoples‟ International (Oceania Sub- region) [2001] .
Disability Promotion & Advocacy Association. (2004). Advocating for an Inclusive, Barrier-Free and Just Society. Submission made to the Hon Ham Lini, Deputy Prime Minister & Minister for Public Utilities for universal access.
Government of the Republic of Vanuatu. (2006). Priorities & Action Agenda 2006-2015: “An Educated, Healthy and Wealthy Vanuatu.” Port Vila: Department of Economic and Sector Planning, Ministry of Finance and ECONOMIC Management.
Harrison, G. (2004). HIS. Paper presented by Dr Harrison, Medical Registrar, Vila Central Hospital, at the Master Health Plan Workshop, April 2004.
Jones, D. & Pascoe, K. (2005). TAFEA Pilot Disability Survey Project: Findings and Recommendations Main Report. VSDP: Port Vila.
McKinstry, G. & Price, P. (2004). Review of Policy and Legislation on Disability in Pacific Island Countries. Report prepared for the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.
Ministry of Education. (2005). Summary Report on 2004 Primary and Secondary School Statistics. Port Vila: Division of Policy & Planning Services.
Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat. (2005). The Pacific Plan for Strengthening Regional Cooperation and Integration. Fiji: Forum Secretariat.
Piau-Lynch, A. (2004). Gender and Women‟s Health in Vanuatu. Report prepared for the WHO Vanuatu Country Office, Port Vila.
Piau-Lynch, A. (2006). Vanuatu Gender Profile. Report prepared for JICA, Port Vila.
Piau-Lynch, A. & Tataki, L. (1988). Talking Pictures About the Vanuatu Society for Disabled People: A Fundraising Book for Past, Continuing and Potential Donors. Port Vila.
Republic of Vanuatu. (2004). Combined Initial, Second & Third Report on the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women. Port Vila: Office of the Prime Minister & Department of Women‟s Affairs.
Rhodes, D. (2005). “I have the same rights as you”: The consequences of using the rights-based approach in Fiji disabled people‟s organizations. Power point seminar presented on the study undertaken in 2003-2004, Suva, Fiji.
United Nations General Assembly. The Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disability. Document A/AC.265/2006/l.7
UN ESCAP. (2002). The Biwako Millennium Framework for Action Toward the Asia Pacific Decade of Persons with Disability 2003-2012. Bangkok: UN ESCAP.
UNESCO. (2000). The Dakar Framework for Action, Education for All: Meeting our Collective Commitments. Adopted by the World Education Forum, Dakar, Senegal, 26-28 April 2000. Wilkinson. A. (2005). Disability in Vanuatu: The Community View – Services and Service Priorities.