The future of the Asian-Pacific region should strive towards a balanced development between qualitative and quantitative economic growth. To achieve this, the session aspires to shed light on the need and importance of policies and changed perceptions that include women and the minority class, especially women with disabilities, as part of society. Disabilities, gender discrimination, and violence are themes that are typically shied away from, felt as too difficult to approach, or an issue that is somebody else’s problem. The session with the congratulatory performance of well-known pianist ‘Hee-Ah Lee’, who has only four fingers, attempts to bring these issues out in the air by starting the session with her personal story as a woman with a disability.

- Moderator
SONG, Gyungjin (Vice President, Institute for Global Economics)

- Congratulatory Performance
LEE, Hee-Ah (Four-fingered pianist)

- Congratulatory Address
KIM, Tae-Seok (Vice Minister, Ministry of Gender Equality and Family)

- Presenters & Discussants
KIM, Hyung Shik (Professor, Korea University of International Studies, Korean Representative of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities)
Joan DUROCHER (Director, National Council on Disability)
Hilary BROWN (Professor, Canterbury Christ Church)

- Closing Address
MOON, Sook Kyung (President, Korean Institute for Gender Equality Promotion and Education)

- Rapporteur
YU, Chan Ho (Catholic Priest and Head, ‘UriMaul Welfare Foundation’