From 21-23 November 2018, the 13th ASEAN GO-NGO Forum on Social Welfare and Development, 14th SOMSWD, and 13th SOMSWD+3 took place in Singapore. The theme of this year's GO-NGO Forum was “Realising the ASEAN Enabling Masterplan 2025: Mainstreaming the Rights of Persons with Disabilities”.
In the context of the GO-NGO Forum, ICSW SEAP organized a Preparatory NGO Meeting on 20 November. It brought together ICSW members to (i) discuss the work plan of SEAP for 2019, (ii) formulate recommendations for ASEAN, NGOs and disabled people’s organizations (DPOs), and governments to be presented at the GO-NGO Forum, (iii) have an open discussion on social welfare and development issues and formulate recommendations for the agenda of the upcoming AMMSWD that will be hosted by Lao PDR in 2019 and the SOMSWD that will be hosted by the Philippines in 2020.
Recommendations for ASEAN, NGOs and DPOs, and governments, that were formulated during the Preparatory NGO Meeting, focused among others on engaging civil society and NGOs (in particular DPOs), building their capacity, and strengthening the implementation of the Enabling Masterplan.
The open discussion touched upon a variety of topics such as capacity building of NGOs in general, laws and measures of governments to support NGOs, the work of NGOs to meet SDGs and ASEAN Vision.
On 21 November, the Regional President, Mr. Chinchai Cheecharoen, participated in the GO-NGO Forum and presented the work of ICSW. He emphasized the importance of having the GO-NGO Forum which was set up by ICSW and ASEAN. The first GO-NGO Forum took place in 2006 in Bangkok, Thailand. He also presented the recommendations formulated by NGOs on 20 November. In the afternoon, there was a group discussion on children, working-age adults, and elderly with disabilities.
On 22 November, Mr. Chinchai Cheecharoen participated in the 14th SOMSWD meeting where results from the GO-NGO Forum were discussed. During this meeting Mr. Chinchai Cheecharoen urged SOMSWD to acknowledge the recommendations formulated by NGOs on 20 November.
