Australia and the International Disability Alliance Back Leadership of Disabled People's Organizations in ASEAN Countries

Across eight Southeast Asian countries, strengthening the disability rights movement will help translate the promise of equal rights into everyday life, contributing to a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region. With the support of the Australian Government, the International Disability Alliance and the ASEAN Disability Forum are implementing a program by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade titled 'Expanding Inclusion in Southeast Asia through Grants from Disabled People's Organizations to Disabled People's Organizations, Strengthening the Ecosystem, and Transforming National Systems'.

The program will strengthen organizations of people with disabilities, their networks, and their capacity to influence the creation of a more inclusive future. This initiative builds on the 'Stronger Movements, Stronger Future' program, announced by Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Minister for International Development Anne Aly in December 2025.

Australia supports the leadership of disabled people's organizations, recognizing it as the foundation for building a stronger and more inclusive region, in line with the country's International Strategy for Disability Equality and Rights. According to Jose Viera, Executive Director of the International Disability Alliance, behind every disabled people's organization are people with hopes, knowledge, and a drive to improve the lives of their communities.

Australia's support in the ASEAN region recognizes this leadership and helps build the time, trust, and stability needed for organizations to unite, develop solutions, and achieve the real-world realization of rights in everyday life. Through a grant system awarded from disabled people's organizations to disabled people's organizations, resources are directed toward priorities defined by the organizations of people with disabilities themselves.

Grants, alongside technical assistance and knowledge exchange, will enable organizations to build skills, sustain their operations, and drive the changes demanded by their communities. Strengthening the ecosystem involves building connections and collective capacity, allowing disabled people's organizations to achieve more together.

The program connects national organizations with provincial and local networks, fosters collaboration among diverse disability groups, and strengthens partnerships with the broader community and government institutions. The goal is to build a more diverse, robust, and resilient movement capable of sharing knowledge, responding quickly to challenges, and working collaboratively on common objectives.

Movement participants and partnerships will help drive change within national systems. By bringing their lived experience and expertise into dialogue with governments, disabled people's organizations have the opportunity to influence the laws, policies, budgets, and public services that shape everyday living conditions. The program's objective is to translate community priorities into sustained improvements in rights recognition, barrier removal, and the provision of equal opportunities.

Special attention is given to strengthening organizations' capacity to advance gender equality and respond to climate change. Women with disabilities must have the opportunity to lead and shape the systems, policies, and funding that affect their autonomy and livelihoods. People with disabilities must also be included in preparing communities for climate risks and responding to natural disasters. Their lived experience is essential for developing effective solutions.

The program aims to reach at least 194 organizations, coalitions, networks, and provincial branches across the eight countries, linking local priorities with national reforms.

Through these connections, issues identified at the local level can inform collective advocacy, while national-level achievements create new opportunities for people in their daily lives. The International Disability Alliance, the ASEAN Disability Forum, and Australia are working together to build a more diverse, resilient, and connected movement of disability rights advocates, with disabled people's organizations at its core.

Strengthening movements contributes to building peaceful, inclusive, and prosperous societies where people with disabilities, in all their diversity, have equal opportunities and protected rights. ASEAN Disability Forum Chair Sauvalaka Thongkhai noted that a stronger movement allows more voices to be heard, fosters new leaders, and builds communities capable of determining their own future. Disabled people's organizations bring not only hopes and expectations but also solutions that can drive real change.