United Intellectual Disabilities (ID) Network in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region

APCD is the Secretariat of the United Intellectual Disabilities (ID) Network in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region since 2013. On 4-5 September 2013 the ‘Workshop on Self-Advocates with Intellectual Disabilities in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region’ was organized by the Dao Ruang Group (Self-Advocate Group of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities in Thailand), the Association for Persons with Intellectual Disability of Thailand and the Asia-Pacific Development Center on Disability (APCD) in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security of Thailand, and the Inclusion Japan and the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF) in the Century Park Hotel.

The Workshop was attended by 98 participants representing persons with intellectual disabilities and their family members in the Greater Mekong Sub-region, specifically Rose Group of Cambodia, Talent Group of Lao PDR, Future Star Group of Myanmar, Dao Ruang Group of Thailand and My Future Group of Vietnam. Representatives from the concerned government entities of CLMVT including representatives from Inclusion Japan participated the workshop. On the same platform United ID Network was founded with the following objectives.

1. To give a chance for persons with intellectual disabilities to speak out in public
2. To empower persons with intellectual disabilities to be confident
3. To encourage the teamwork of the United ID Network Greater Mekong Subregion
4. To exchange information about activities with friends in the Greater Mekong Sub-region
5. To share successful stories with friends in the Greater Mekong Sub-region
6. To assist friends to be more independent in the community
7. To continue to work together with friends, family members and supporters in the community
8. To tell successful life stories, challenges and wishes among friends and other partners in the public
9. To echo the voices of persons with intellectual disabilities in the Greater Mekong Sub-region
10. To increase the number of friendly supporters who understand the lives of persons with ID, dreams and capacities.

The activities on the national level were often conducted however the Network prepared to conduct Mekong ID Art empowerment workshop in Myanmar in 2020.