The Philippines is pushing for stronger and inclusive development investments for person with disabilities (PWD) to fully realize their rights and help remove the societal barriers they face every day.

This was underscored by Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Assistant Secretary Elaine Fallarcuna as she read the statement of the Philippines during the high-level segment of the 18th Session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (COSP18-CRPD) at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York City, USA on Tuesday.

“Development must be inclusive, sustainable and equitable. It must be anchored in the full realization of the rights of persons with disabilities. The Philippines believes that inclusive development is not optional — it is essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,” Fallacurna of the DSWD-International Affairs, Attached and Supervised Agencies said.

Among the country’s interventions for PWD that she highlighted were the current initiative to align public financing with inclusive priorities; strengthening of data systems for vulnerable sectors; and expansion of access to assistive technologies and services.

“These efforts must be matched by global cooperation and partnerships that respect national contexts and the leadership of persons with disabilities,” she said.

Aside from public financing, she emphasized that the Philippine government, through the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., continues to advance the policies rooted in the CRPD that promote inclusive education, accessible health care, decent work, and social protection to help PWD live fuller and more productive lives.

The COSP18-CPDR, which ends June 12, is organized by the UN Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and girls, and the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities. (PNA)