14th World Federation of the Deaf
Regional Secretariat in Asia/Pacific
Representatives Meeting
Oct. 17-19 2002, Big-i, Osaka, Japan
Participants: 26 representatives from 16 countries
WFD RSA/P Director: Mr. Takeo Ogura Australia Ms. Patricia Levitzke-Gray Bangladesh Mr. Mozaharul Islam Chowdhury (Day 3 only) China Ms. Yang Yang, Mr. Cheng Hai Hong Kong Mr. Wong Siu-Lun, Mr. Lau Yiu-Cheong India Absent Indonesia Mr. Iwan Satryawan Iran Mr. Rouzbeh Ghahreman Japan Dr. Yutaka Osugi, Mr. Yosuke Ota Korea Mr. Kim Ki-Bum, Mr. Yoon Woo Joong Macau Ms. Hong Mei Iong, Ms. Lao Iok Ieng Malaysia Mr. Mohamad Sazali Shaari Mongolia Mr. Luvsandolgor Sharavdorj, Mr. Gavaa Erdenebileg Nepal Mr. Raghav Bir Joshi, Mr. Om Sherchan New Zealand Absent Pakistan Mr. Muneed Mansoor, Mr. Syed Amin Ahmed Philippines Mr. Raphael Domingo Singapore Ms. Low Jarn May Sri Lanka Apologies Received Thailand Ms. Panomwan Boontem, Ms. Porntip Sansanakiate
WFD Representatives:
WFD President Dr. Liisa Kauppinen WFD General Secretary Ms. Carol-lee Aquiline Former WFD President Dr. Yerker Andersson WFD Board Member Mr. Eiichi Takada
Representatives from Non-WFD-member countries:
Fiji Ms. Leona Tamainai Vietnam Mr. Tran Ngoc Tuan, Ms. Tran Thanh Hai Cambodia Mr. So Sereivuth
Observers:
15 Observers from Pakistan, Cambodia, Fiji, Japan 8 Trainees from JICA Leadership Training Program + JICA Coordinator 2 Trainees from Duskin Leadership Training Program
<< Day 1 >>
1. Opening Address: WFD RSA/P Director Takeo Ogura
Mr. Ogura explained the importance of holding the 14th WFD RSA/P Representatives Meeting in Osaka together with the other major international disability events during the month, such as the "International Forum on Disabilities to Mark The End Year of The Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons". He then welcomed the WFD President, General Secretary, Board Member, and the former President, who provided great support in the establishment of WFD RSA/P. Mr. Ogura thanked the Japanese Federation of the Deaf for hosting the meeting.
2. Presentation of Award to WFD RSA/P Logo Contest Winners
A contest for the new WFD RSA/P Logo was held at the previous WFD RSA/P Representatives Meeting in Hong Kong. Awards were presented to artists of the following countries: 1st Place: Nepal; 2nd Place: Macau; 3rd Place: Hong Kong and Malaysia.
Although the logo artwork from Nepal was selected, the logo was quite detailed and would have to be a simpler design to be actually used as a logo. It was approved that WFD RSA/P would create a simple logo based on the winning artwork. After approval from the WFD RSA/P Management Committee (MC), the new logo will be announced to all member countries.
3. Roll Call / Self Introduction
The representatives of the 16 present WFD RSA/P member countries and three non-member countries, the WFD RSA/P executive members, and the observers each introduced themselves briefly. The WFD RSA/P member countries that could not attend this meeting were India, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka.
WFD RSA/P MC Members Mr. Kim (Korea), Mr. Shaari (Malaysia) and Ms. Low (Singapore) were present.
4. Welcome Speech from the President of the Japanese Federation of the Deaf
The JFD president expressed his pleasure to be able to invite not only the representatives of WFD RSA/P member countries, but also the WFD President, General Secretary, and former President. In his speech, he emphasized the need for Deaf persons of the Asia Pacific region to strengthen their solidarity and to further develop mutual support, since welfare for the Deaf is becoming a large issue and it is now an important opportunity to make positive changes.
5. Briefing on Meeting Schedule: JFD Director of Headquarters Dr. Yutaka Osugi
Dr. Osugi, as representative of the hosting organization, briefed the meeting participants on the three-day meeting schedule.
6. Approval of Minutes from Previous Meeting (Appendix)
The minutes from the previous meeting in Hong Kong were unanimously approved.
7. Adoption of Agenda
The agenda was unanimously approved.
8. Reports (Appendix)
8.1 WFD RSA/P Director Report
The director presented the report on his activities for 2001-2002 in accordance to the written report distributed earlier. The report was unanimously approved.
8.2 WFD RSA/P MC Report
MC member Mr. Shaari reported on the creation and management of the WFD RSA/P website. The report was unanimously approved.
8.3 WFD RSA/P Financial Report
MC member Mr. Kim reported on the financial situation of WFD RSA/P for the period of 2001-2002 in accordance to the written report distributed earlier.
The Japanese representative further explained that the fiscal period of the report starts on April and ends at the end of March, in accordance with Japanese accounting customs.
The financial report was unanimously approved.
9. The End of the "Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons"
The representative of Japan presented a report based on the decade-related materials previously distributed for the meeting.
It was confirmed that information on the decade, including the "Agenda for Action" and its 107 targets, were not sufficiently propagated to national associations of the Deaf by their governments in several countries.
* Dr. Andersson explained that it is the government's duty to translate decade-related documents and information into the language of the respective country and to propagate this information within their country. He further explained that this important duty in not known well enough by government personnel, and that lobbying is required to resolve this issue.
* The representative of Malaysia explained that although representatives of the Malaysian government attend ESCAP meetings and should have information on the decade, this information is not conveyed to the national Deaf association. There is not enough contact between the government and Deaf association, and working to resolve this problem is a very important for countries.
* Dr. Kauppinen expressed her opinion that "children with disabilities", together with their rights, should be included in the Osaka Declaration document. The Director acknowledged this opinion and decided to propose this addition to the Osaka Forum committee.
* The representative of Malaysia explained that there are many government-level documents from the Asian and Pacific Decade and ESCAP, which leads to confusion. The representative mentioned the need for a more clearer and understandable system, including easily understandable information on how this relates to the specific and actual problems faced by the Deaf community. In reply to his opinion, the Dr. Kauppinen gave a briefing on the developments in the disability arena in relation to the UN.
* The representative of the Philippines explained that their association had not received information on the Asian and Pacific decade, and as a result has been left behind in the disability movement within the country. Even if Deaf representatives attend disability-related gatherings, the lack of interpreters causes a disparity of information, even among the different disability groups.
* In response to these opinions, Mr. Takada explained the great importance of gathering information in order to promote activities of disability organizations, and asked the representatives of each country whether their organizations have been acquiring enough information. It was confirmed that most organizations were aware that such actions were taking place in the disability field, but have not been receiving up-to-date information. A more stable system of conveying this important information must be established.
* The representative of Malaysia expressed his opinion that WFD RSA/P should be more active in providing this type of information to member countries.
* Mr. Takada explained that the new Asian and Pacific Decade is aiming to diminish the disparity of information, so that all organizations will be able to receive the information required. It is therefore important that each national association of the Deaf establish a stable system of receiving this information from the UN whenever needed.
The Director questioned the representatives on the types of problems the Deaf community is facing in each country.
* The representative of the Philippines mentioned that their association was not properly informed of a Deaf-related program enacted by the Filipino government.
* The representative of Thailand explained that the environment surrounding disabled persons has changed significantly, making progress in their living conditions. For example, Deaf persons are now allowed to acquire driver's licenses. However, problems still exist concerning Sign Language interpreters.
* The representative of China explained that in some regions the Deaf are allowed to acquire driver's licenses, while in other regions they are not. However, since automobiles are still very expensive and thus are not a very common possession, this has not become a practical problem.
* The representative of Indonesia explained that there are now provisions for physically disabled persons in train stations. However, there are no provisions to help the Deaf (i.e. electronic signs showing important information on train transfers and arrivals). The same can be said for other public transportation means. Accidents related to Deaf persons are also on the rise and require immediate attention.
* The representative of Fiji explained that there are large disparities in job salaries in her country, resulting in Deaf persons receiving significantly less pay compared to hearing persons.
* The representative of Singapore explained that although legislation exists in Singapore concerning transportation for Deaf persons, there is no legislation on special education. For this reason, the right of Deaf children to receive special education is not guaranteed. The WFD President mentioned that this would be a fundamental problem concerning human rights, and is not in accordance with UN treaties. The President advised the association of Singapore to use the UN treaties when lobbying the government to resolve this important issue.
* The representative of Malaysia explained that it is currently very difficult to gather information on other countries, since there is no system to gather and distribute information on countries in the Asia/Pacific region. The representative explained the need to gather and compile information from each country, and to establish a system or body to provide monitoring of the region. Furthermore, a system would be needed in which information is gathered not only on the general disability community, but also information specifically focused on Deaf persons. The WFD President replied that WFD has been continuingly proposing such a system to the UN, and that WFD is willing to establish such a program when this proposal is realized.
* The representative of the Philippines explained that the Filipino government is very unstable, leading to embezzlement and other illegal practices by governmental personnel. Furthermore, frequent changes of the cabinet are causing disability policies to change frequently, making it difficult for advancement of welfare. The representative expressed his opinion that under these circumstances, it would be difficult to expect much progress within the Filipino government in relation to the Asian and Pacific Decade. The WFD President replied that this is indeed a serious governmental problem, and explained that the UN will not financially support countries with unstable governments. She then advised the representative to lobby the government on these grounds in order to obtain a more stable welfare policy.
* The representative of Pakistan explained that many Deaf persons in his country are not literate, which is a serious problem. He then proposed the idea of inviting an experienced teacher from a country with a same common language.
* The representative of Malaysia proposed that negotiations be carried out in order to include provisions for Deaf persons in building construction law.
<<Day 2>>
10. Country Reports from WFD RSA/P Member Associations
10.1 Australia (Appendix)
The representative of Australia made a presentation based on the written report.
10.2 Bangladesh
Absent on this day. No written report submitted.
10.3 China (Appendix)
The representative of China made a presentation based on the written report.
* The representative of Mongolia asked if the national Deaf associations of China and Mongolia could cooperate in the future, since they are neighboring countries. The representative of China replied that this would be most appropriate, and expressed their will to provide mutual support as much as possible.
10.4 Hong Kong (Appendix)
The representative of Hong Kong made a presentation based on the written report.
10.5 India
Absent. No written report submitted.
10.6 Indonesia
The representative of Indonesia presented the report. No written report was submitted.
The representative explained that the national association of the Deaf was established in 1981, and the Deaf Sports Association in 1982. National conferences and events have been held since. This year's national conference is planned to be held in Bali, but may be cancelled due to the recent terrorist activities. The general situation of the Deaf is not very good. The core of the Deaf movement consists of the Deaf on the island of Jakarta (Java), which makes it difficult for the Deaf living on the surrounding islands to attend gatherings. This worsens the gap between the central and surrounding regions, causing lack of education and welfare.
* The WFD General Secretary asked if the Deaf population of 6 million reported by the Indonesian representative included persons with other disabilities. The representative of Indonesia explained that this is the total population of persons with hearing disabilities, including hard of hearing persons.
10.7 Iran (Appendix)
The representative of Iran made a presentation based on the written report.
* The WFD General Secretariat asked if there was discrimination between Deaf men and women. The representative of Iran explained that there were many societal restrictions on women in the past, but positive changes have been made. Currently men and women are treated equal in all situations. Although women are still required to wear masks, and the desks of boys and girls are separated in classrooms, there is very little suppression that could be called discrimination. The representative also explained that there are women members in the board of his association.
* The former WFD President asked if the existence of Sign Language interpreters is allowed during trials. The representative of Iran answered that this is officially approved, and that the government covers interpretation costs. However, the government only guarantees interpretation during trials, and interpreters working in other places such as schools receive no compensation for their work.
10.8 Japan (Appendix)
The representative of Japan made a presentation based on the written report.
10.9 Korea (Appendix)
The representative of Korea made a presentation based on the written report.
10.10 Macau (Appendix)
The representative of Macau made a presentation based on the written report.
10.11 Malaysia (Appendix)
The representative of Malaysia made a presentation based on the written report.
10.12 Mongolia (Appendix)
The representative of Mongolia made a presentation based on the written report.
* Dr. Andersson mentioned that Mongolia is receiving support from AIFO to teach American Sign Language, and asked how this support was realized. The representative of Mongolia answered that their association initially asked for support, which was later approved.
10.13 Nepal
The representative of Nepal presented the report. No written report was submitted.
The representative reported that they received no support from the Nepalese government, and was therefore managing their activities with financial support from Sweden and England. The national association of the Deaf is providing Sign Language training, including training for Deaf adults who have not formerly received sufficient education. This enables them to carry out their everyday activities smoothly. There are also television programs with Sign Language interpreting, although not very much.
10.14 New Zealand
Absent. No report submitted.
10.15 Pakistan (Appendix)
The representative of Pakistan made a presentation based on the written report.
* The WFD General Secretary asked what the proper sign for "Pakistan" was. The representative of Pakistan explained that they use a sign based on the illustration on the Pakistani flag, which is different than the sign used internationally.
* Regarding the Pakistani Sign Language book which illustrates how to express a sentence in Sign Language, the WFD General Secretary pointed out that this would be simultaneous (total) communication, and would differ from the natural Sign Language used by the Deaf. The representatives of Pakistan answered that this would not be a problem in regard to education, since the book is used for learning written language.
10.16 Philippines
The representative of the Philippines made a presentation based on the written report.
10.17 Singapore
The representative of the Singapore made a presentation based on the written report.
10.18 Sri Lanka
Absent. No report was submitted.
10.19 Thailand
The representative of the Thailand made a presentation based on the written report.
The representatives of non-member countries were asked to present a report on the situation of Deaf persons in their respective countries.
10.20 Fiji
The representative of Fiji explained that Sign Language within the country is not standardized, since Fiji consists of variously sized islands. Deaf persons gather mainly in Suva Island, but education for Deaf persons is still lacking. The representative explained that they were aiming to establish a common Sign Language, and to research education in English, which is the official language of Fiji.
10.21 Vietnam
The representatives of Vietnam explained that they have yet to establish a national association of the Deaf. Although schools for the Deaf exist, education for the Deaf is still insufficient. In 1986, a professor from Gallaudet University (USA) came to Vietnam to study the Vietnamese Deaf, and to promote Sign Language. There is still an issue with the difference of Sign Language used in the north and south, but progress is being made, such as the gathering of Deaf persons from the north and south held the previous year.
10.22 Cambodia
The representative from Cambodia reported on the Deaf Development Programme carried out with support from foreign countries such as Finland and Canada. The Programme conducts research and education on Sign Language. Although a national association of the Deaf is not yet established, activities are being carried to promote Sign Language, such as Sign Language training in various regions.
10.23 Laos
The JICA trainee from Laos explained that a school for the Deaf exists in the Capital, and that vocational training is provided there. However, there is little information on Deaf persons living outside the Capital, which makes it difficult to hold a national gathering. A national association of the Deaf is not yet established. There is a serious lack of understanding toward the Deaf in rural areas. Thailand, as a neighboring country, has been providing support through the provision of Sign Language books, and guidance and advice on Sign Language. The trainee expressed their will to gather detailed information on the actual situation of the Deaf living throughout the country.
10.24 Myanmar
The JICA trainee from Myanmar explained that it would still be quite difficult to establish a national association. Various activities have been carried out in the past, but progress has been minimal. There is a school for the Deaf, but students have difficulty finding jobs after they graduate, and thus many of them return back to school. With help from NGOs, vocational training support programs have been initiated to enable Deaf persons to live independently.
<<Day 3>>
The representative of Bangladesh attended the meeting from the third day.
10.25 Bangladesh (country report postponed from previous day)
The representative of Bangladesh of presented a report on his country. No written report was submitted.
The representative explained that there is still a lack of understanding toward Deaf persons, and that Sign Language is not accepted. Deaf education is also lacking, and it is very difficult to find jobs. Salaries differ from hearing persons. Even if they would like to ask for some kind of support from foreign or international organizations, this is very difficult to achieve since the national association of the Deaf has no connection with the domestic government. The representative expressed their wish to host a WFD RSA/P Representatives Meeting in Bangladesh in the near future, so that the Deaf could make a strong appeal to the government.
11. Venues of Future WFD RSA/P Representatives Meetings
11.1 Venue of 15th WFD RSA/P Representatives Meeting
It was confirmed that the 15th WFD RSA/P Representatives Meeting would be held during the 14th WFD World Congress of the Deaf in Canada during July 2003.
* The representative of Malaysia pointed out that at the previous World Congress in Australia, some representatives were not issued visas, and thus not permitted entry into Australia. The Malaysian representative then asked if the same problem could happen regarding the congress in Canada, especially considering the recent terrorist activities. Ms. Aquiline replied that the Canadian Association of the Deaf had sent a formal letter to the Canadian embassies in all countries requesting them to issue visas to registrants of the World Congress. Registrants should therefore be issued a visa at the Canadian embassy in their own country. Ms. Aquiline asked the representatives to contact her if they had any problems acquiring a visa.
* The representative of Japan pointed out that representatives of many countries have still not decided whether to attend the World Congress since the program for the Congress has not been finalized. Countries will need more detailed information to make their decision. The representative of Japan therefore proposed that WFD RSA/P should inquire each country whether they will attend the 15th WFD RSA/P meeting after the details of the World Congress have been announced, which would be in early 2003. This proposal was unanimously approved.
11.2 Venue of 16th WFD RSA/P Representatives Meeting
The Director explained that during the 13th WFD RSA/P meeting, the three countries of Singapore, Korea, and Indonesia had expressed their will to host the 15th WFD RSA/P meeting. However, none of these countries have submitted an official letter showing the association's full support and approval toward hosting the meeting. Singapore had later informed WFD RSA/P that they will not be able to host a meeting, but there had been no further correspondence from the other countries. During this meeting, Pakistan had also submitted a proposal to host the next meeting. However, this was not considered to be a valid proposal since it was not a formal letter approved by the Pakistan Association of the Deaf.
* Mr. Takada explained that hosting a WFD RSA/P meeting is an enormous and difficult task for an association. The fundraising required for covering the lodging costs for all the representatives during their stay is especially difficult. However, the WFD RSA/P meetings are extremely important for promoting the Deaf movement in each country, and furthermore to develop unity between the Asia/Pacific countries. Mr. Takada expressed his opinion that meetings should be held each year for these reasons.
* The representative of Malaysia asked how the host of the WFD RSA/P meeting after Canada would be selected. The representative pointed out that if the 15th WFD RSA/P Representatives Meeting in Canada did not have enough attendants to hold a vote, there would be no opportunity to select the host of the next meeting.
* The representative of Japan explained that Representatives Meetings must be held at least once every two years according to the WFD RSA/P bylaws, and that the meeting could be held in 2005 instead of 2004, if necessary. The period between meetings can be used to ask each country if they would be willing and capable of hosting a meeting.
* The Director summarized the above opinions and proposed that WFD RSA/P send a letter inviting member countries to apply for hosting the WFD RSA/P Representatives Meeting in 2004 and 2005. The MC will discuss the formal applications submitted, and furthermore the MC will decide the final host. This proposal was unanimously approved.
* Ms. Aquiline pointed out that only ordinary members of WFD are permitted to attend the WFD RSA/P Representatives Meetings, and that ordinary members must pay their membership fees to WFD. Ordinary members who have not paid their membership fee do not have a vote. Members with financial difficulties should report this to the WFD General Secretariat, which may be able to reduce or exempt membership fees.
12. Osaka Declaration on Partnerships for Disability Rights
The Director explained the revisions made to the draft proposal discussed the previous day. The revisions were unanimously approved.
13. Proposals from member countries (Appendix)
The representative of Nepal presented his proposal, based on the previously distributed paper. The proposal was unanimously approved.
14. WFD RSA/P Management Committee
14.1 Policy on activities for 2002-2003 (Appendix)
The Director presented the policies for 2002-2003, in accordance with the previously distributed paper.
* In regard to getting approval from the MC before sending out information to Asia/Pacific member countries, Ms. Aquiline asked whether approval from the MC would also be required for information sent from the WFD General Secretariat. The Director replied that information from WFD would not need the MC's approval, and that they would be sent directly to member countries.
* Ms. Aquiline pointed out that item #5 on establishing a standard sign language may not comply with WFD policies, and proposed a revision of that item. Mr. Shaari answered that the MC will discuss how the wording of that item could be changed into something more appropriate.
* The representative of Japan asked if the goals of these policies were supposed to be achieved in just one year. It seems like most of the goals would require two or more years to achieve. Furthermore, the Japanese representative suggested that the goals should be on a smaller scale and be more focused.
* The representative of China proposed that WFD RSA/P take steps to train Sign Language interpreters in cooperation with JICA. In reply, the Director explained the difficulty in training Sign Language to hearing persons without a solid foundation for the training. There is not enough knowledge and experience in each country to train Sign Language interpreters and develop the skill of existing interpreters. The Director will therefore consider ways to request JICA to establish projects that can provide knowledge on training Sign Language interpreters.
The policies were unanimously approved.
14.2 Budget for 2002-2003
Mr. Kim explained that the Management Committee did not have enough time to discuss the budget for WFD RSA/P operations during 2002-2003. The financial report for the previous year was presented on the first day of the meeting.
* The representative of Malaysia proposed that the agenda item on the budget should then be changed to "for information only" instead of requiring approval. This was unanimously approved.
15. Closing
Dr. Kauppinen expressed her gratitude for the invitation to the meeting, and expressed her pleasure that the meeting progressed smoothly, finishing successfully. She also mentioned her respect towards the Japanese Federation of the Deaf which has hosted the meeting and has been working hard in the Asia/Pacific region. Finally, Dr. Kauppinen asked the representatives to keep developing their cooperation well into the future.
Ms. Aquiline explained that the previous WFD RSA/P Representatives Meeting she was able to attend was the 11th meeting in Australia in 1998, and that she was thankful for the invitation to this meeting. She felt that she was able to develop her relationship with the Asia/Pacific region even further by attending this meeting.
Dr. Andersson explained that the first WFD RSA/P Representatives Meeting was held in Hong Kong, and that he had attended that meeting. Communication between countries was very difficult at the first meeting, and not many subjects could be discussed sufficiently. Dr. Andersson expressed his opinion that communication between Asia/Pacific countries has since developed a great amount, which shows how much the Deaf movement in the region has progressed in recent years. He congratulated the representatives on the success of the meeting.
Mr. Takada explained that he too had not known any international sign when the WFD RSA/P Representatives Meeting was first held. The representatives of each country developed their international sign abilities through communication at each successive meeting. Mr. Takada expressed his great pleasure that such an environment of cooperative and mutual development had been established. He then expressed his desire that this strong relationship between the Deaf should be developed beyond the Asia/Pacific region and into the African and European regions.
Mr. Ando expressed his pleasure in being able to invite the participants to Japan as the meeting host. At this meeting, Mr. Ando was able to see how the Deaf in the Asia/Pacific region were moving forward in their efforts through his own eyes. He also expressed his pleasure regarding Mr. Ogura, who has been working hard as the Director of WFD RSA/P after Mr. Takada. Mr. Ando thanked the representatives for their cooperation in making the meeting a success.
16. Presentation of Award to Mr. Takada, Former WFD RSA/P Director
<< End of Meeting >>
第１４回世界ろう連盟アジア太平洋地域事務局代表者会議 議事録（英文）
2002年10月17〜19日 大阪ビッグアイ／日本