From the 13th to 15th of December, the ASEAN Disability Forum held their annual meeting in Singapore. The meeting was specially designed to provide adequate knowledge and support for ADF members (and other participants) to prepare for the CRPD Alternative Report as some ASEAN countries will submit their first alternative reports to the CRPD Committee in 2019. In conjunction with the ADF Conference, there was also be a Leadership Forum organised by DPA for advocates with disabilities. The Leadership Forum was targeted at advocates who wanted to play a larger role in Singapore’s disability advocacy. The Forum aimed to build capability in the sector by increasing knowledge about the CRPD, as well as share experiences with advocates from ASEAN nations.
The Leadership training also aimed to raise awareness amongst disabled advocates about issues pertaining to disability rights and identify leadership movement initiatives from their experiences and perspectives. The training acted as a catalyst to cultivate the next generation of up-and-coming disabled advocates. Some of ADF Steering Committee members were invited as facilitators of the Leadership training to share their experiences of disability advocacy through the years.
Additionally, Professor Nagase Osamu from the Ritsumeikan University ran a one day workshop on the CRPD with our disability advocates. The workshop looked at important dates and timelines of the CRPD Parallel Report submission process, as well as trained our advocates in presenting to the CRPD Committee at the United Nations.
