Persons with Disabilities constitute a significantly vulnerable population within Pacific Island countries, persistently encountering stigma, discrimination, and exclusion. While Pacific Island Governments demonstrate increasing recognition of these issues through regional commitments like the Pacific Framework for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (PFRPD) and national efforts in enacting legislation and developing disability inclusion policies, often aligned with their ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), tangible financial commitments and the pace of implementation remain slow. Furthermore, deeply entrenched harmful social norms continue to resist the necessary social change to address the barriers faced by Persons with Disabilities.
Pacific Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) play a complementary role to government efforts in advancing disability inclusion. They raise awareness about national disability inclusion legislations and supports its implementation, contributes to the development and implementation of national disability inclusion policies, and provide essential social and psychosocial support services. This paper examines the Pacific People Advancing Change (PPAC) program of the Pacific Community (SPC), its support to CSOs and Organisations for Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) engaged in disability inclusion advocacy campaigns across several Pacific Island countries. Utilizing a Pacific style advocacy approach and the socio-ecological framework, coupled with the provision of small grants, and capacity building, the paper highlights the significant achievements made by these CSOs in legislation, policy, programs, and the transformation of behaviours and attitudes. It documents the achievement’s enablers, challenges and the outlook of the PPAC program to advance disability inclusion in the Pacific region.