Policy Gaps and Global Frameworks: A Critical Review
摘要
Analyzing the interaction between the disability issue, policy-making, and disaster risk reduction (DRR) in the Pacific region, this chapter brings to focus the disconnection between global promises and local performances. Indeed, the principles of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015–2030) seem to be the very foundations of the chapter. It evaluates critically how far the global mandates of inclusivity, accessibility, and participation have penetrated into the DRR policies at the national and regional levels, where traditionally only partial implementation has been the reality. It points out the need to transition from the historical perspective of disability as a welfare issue to a rights and resilience-based one, within the broader development and climate governance discourse. The chapter brings in examples from the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and Taiwan to substantiate its assertion that there are still gaps in policy, barriers to implementation, and challenges in accessibility, all of which block the way to a full-fledged disability-inclusive DRR in the Pacific Islands. Among other factors, these include: weak institutional capacity, poor coordination, lack of disability-disaggregated data, inadequate funding, and the continued prevalence of social stigma that is deeply rooted in society. The results, although showing some progress in the acceptance of policy, still indicate that the transition from merely symbolic inclusion to actual practice is not yet completed. The chapter discusses how participation, universal accessibility, and intersectoral collaboration form the backbone of a rights-based approach, which is vital for building just and sustainable resilience in the disaster-prone Pacific region.