Accelerating the Development of Inclusive Social Protection Systems for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific
5-8 October 2026 (Monday to Thursday)
By Invitation
Background
Across Asia and the Pacific, governments, Organizations of Persons with Disabilities, regional bodies and development partners are increasingly working to make social protection systems more inclusive, responsive and empowering for persons with disabilities across the life cycle.
This process builds on earlier disability-focused engagement linked to Asia-Pacific Social Protection Week. The 2019 program focused primarily on strengthening the capacity of OPDs to engage in social protection reforms and increasing the visibility of disability issues in regional social protection debates.
Since the 2023 workshop, the policy and evidence landscape has evolved significantly. The Joint Guidance on Disability-Inclusive Social Protection Systems has been published, providing a shared framework for governments, OPDs and partners.
At the same time, several issues have become more central in regional and global social protection debates. These include the relationship between social protection and care and support systems, disability-related health costs, disability cash transfers, and improved systems for identifying persons with disabilities and their support needs.
The 2026 disability-focused process linked to APSP will focus on four interrelated priorities:
- Administrative identification of people with disabilities, assessment of support needs, and disability management information systems.
- Expansion and reform of disability-related cash transfers.
- The contribution of social protection to care and support systems.
- Improved coverage of disability-related health costs, including rehabilitation, early intervention, and assistive technology.
Objectives
The overall objective of the 2026 disability-focused process is to support governments, OPDs, and development partners in accelerating practical reforms towards disability-inclusive social protection systems in Asia and the Pacific.
- Strengthen regional exchange on emerging reforms in disability-inclusive social protection.
- Support OPD engagement and leadership in social protection reform processes.
- Promote practical learning across countries on improving identification, support, and services for people with disabilities.
- Clarify the contribution of social protection to care and support systems.
- Identify priority actions for future collaboration among governments, OPDs, regional bodies, and development partners.
Participants
The process will bring together a targeted group of participants from OPDs, governments, development partners, UN agencies, regional organizations, civil society, and technical institutions working on social protection and disability inclusion in Asia and the Pacific.