On 21 March 2024, Mrs. Arunee Hiam, Deputy Director-General of Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA), attended the Executive Board meeting of the Asia-Pacific Center on Disability (APCD) No. 1/2024 at the APCD Center, Bangkok. The Executive Board acknowledged, with satisfaction, the implementation of APCD’s activities on empowering persons with disabilities in both Thailand and countries in Asia and Pacific from November 2023 to March 2024. Examples of the outstanding APCD’s activities include: (1) The 2024 Skill Development Training for Persons with Disabilities Project. (2) 60+ Plus Bakery & Chocolate Café Shop and APCD 60+Plus Kitchen by CP which serve as both the training center and source of income for persons with disabilities (3) APCD’s International cooperation and networking and (4) APCD’s administrative management.

The Asia-Pacific Development Center on Disability aims to promote the empowerment of persons with disabilities and an inclusive Barrier-Free Rights-Based Society in the region. APCD is the training center for skill development for employability of persons with disabilities in Asia and the Pacific region to live equally in society and for developing and training personnel of government agencies, the private sector, and related organizations that provide services to persons with disabilities. APCD works in partnership with development partners to strengthen persons with disabilities. TICA supports APCD in implementing activities under the international cooperation framework to strengthen APCD’s role as a regional center on disability.

Recently, TICA and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have supported APCD to conduct the Third Country Program on Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (DIDRR) in the ASEAN Region, organized in Bangkok and Chiang Rai Province during 14-17 January 2024. Participants were from 7 ASEAN member countries: Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand. The training course has promoted social inclusion for people with disabilities.