A/HRC/26/24 F. Technical cooperation undertaken by other United Nations agencies and regional organizations 1. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific 57. The past two Asian and Pacific Decades of Disabled Persons (1993-2002 and 2003-2012) and the adoption of the Convention in 2006 acted as catalysts for a shift from a charity-based to a rights-based approach to disability in the Asia-Pacific region. In 2013, the region entered a new phase of promoting the full realization of the rights of persons with disabilities and disability-inclusive development with the adoption of the Ministerial Declaration on the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2013-2022, and the Incheon Strategy to “Make the Right Real” for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific.11 The Incheon Strategy is a pioneering policy framework derived from the experiences of the ESCAP region and provides the Asian and Pacific region with a set of regionally agreed disability-inclusive development goals. 58. The Working Group on the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, an ESCAP consultative and governing mechanism composed of representatives of 15 governments and 15 civil society organizations for, and of, persons with disabilities, met in Incheon, Republic of Korea, to review and adopt a draft road map for the implementation of the Incheon Strategy. ESCAP provided technical assistance in the launch of the Incheon Strategy in a number of countries and in building capacities to develop national strategies and action plans. 59. Cambodia: In May 2013, ESCAP provided technical input for the development of a National Disability Strategy by the Government of Cambodia, to align it with the principles of the Convention. Consequently, an Official Launching on Commitment of Implementation of the Convention and the Incheon Strategy and Continuation of National Disability Strategy Plan (2014-2018) took place in Phnom Penh. 60. The ESCAP-Sasakawa Award for Disability-Inclusive Business in Asia and the Pacific12 has been developed as a good practice for promoting engagement of the private sector in a global effort to eradicate poverty for all, including persons with disabilities. This award is based on a disability-inclusive business model, which views persons with disabilities as an untapped workforce with a range of skills and a market possessing significant purchasing power. 61. In preparing for the Asian and Pacific Conference on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment: Beijing +20 Review, to be held in Bangkok in November 2014, ESCAP mainstreamed disability concerns into the pre-Conference survey for its member States. This is seen as an opportunity to initiate efforts towards mainstreaming disability in the global process of Beijing+20 and the outcome documents that will result from the process. 62. ESCAP developed a project document in 2013 to support its member States’ strengthening of national capacity for better planning of disability-inclusive access and to promote the harmonization of domestic legislation concerning the physical environment, public transport, and information and communication with the Convention, and its implementation. The project, with funding from the Government of China and supported by Hong Kong and Macao, will be implemented in multiple phases starting from 2014. 11 12 The full text of the Incheon Strategy is available online from: www.unescap.org/publications/ detail.asp?id=1523. See www.di-business-award.com. 15