Statement by the Permanent Mission of Singapore at the Annual Interactive Debate on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, at the 34th Session of the Human Rights Council, 3 March 2017

Mr. President,

     Singapore strives to build an inclusive nation where persons with disabilities are recognized, empowered and given every opportunity to be integral and contributing members of society.

     All Singaporeans, including persons with disabilities, are protected under the Constitution and equal before the law.

     Singapore ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in July 2013. 

     But even before that starting from 2007, we had already embarked on a national roadmap to provide persons of disabilities with targeted assistance to help them live independently in all phases of their lives through our 5-year Enabling Masterplans.

     Each Masterplan was developed with extensive public consultation. Under the first two Masterplans, we provided greater support for persons with disabilities in the area of early intervention, education, employment, mobility and accessibility, healthcare, and the use of assistive technology.

     We will launch our third Enabling Masterplan 2017-2021 later this year.  Under this third Masterplan, Singapore will double our spending to about S$400 million per year on initiatives supporting persons with disabilities.

     In particular, the third Masterplan will provide more support to caregivers of persons with disabilities, including setting up a Disability Caregiver Support Centre to provide information, training, and peer support groups.  We will also work closer with the community and businesses to better integrate persons with disabilities into the workforce.

     We will continue to do more to maximize the potential of every child by placing them in learning environments best suited to their needs.  We will be extending the Compulsory Education Act to children with special needs, and have developed a School-to-Work Transition Programme in Special Education Schools to help our students realise their full potential and abilities. Under the third Masterplan, we will also expand the special training programmes to include more students with different levels of disabilities.

     Singapore supports international cooperation to improve effective implementation of the CRPD at the national level.  Last October, Singapore’s Society for the Physically Disabled and the Korean Disabled People’s Institute (KODDI) jointly conducted a course with other partners in Seoul on “Capacity Development of Disability Policies” for 18 participants from 10 countries to share best practices and policies to care for and empower persons with disabilities. 

     We will spare no effort to implement our third Enabling Masterplan to build a fair, just and inclusive society for all Singaporeans.

     Thank you, Mr President.

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