Many international human rights instruments define "discrimination" as "distinction, exclusion or restriction that has the effect or purpose to impair or nullify recognition, enjoyment or exercise of human rights and fundamental freedom". In short, it entails impairments of one's full and equal participation in society, often targeting certain groups of people, such as women, persons with disabilities or HIV/AIDS, and ethnic minorities. At the same time, discrimination could especially affect certain aspects of our lives, including health care, education, employment or access to information. Often these target groups and aspects overlap each other.

Though the Asian and Pacific region in the last decades has led global economic development, discrimination in various forms and against many groups persists, preventing full and equal participation in society by all. Given this reality and the complex nature of discrimination, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) continues its work from various angles, including focussing on women, people with disabilities and HIV/AIDS and older persons, to realize every individual's recognition, enjoyment and exercise of human rights and fundamental freedom.

Women: Women, who make up half of the population of the region, still suffer from discrimination. They often endure unequal access to decision-making and governance, economic resources, education and information and communication technologies. They suffer from myriad forms of gender-based violence, including domestic violence, sex selective abortions and sexual violence with the possibility of HIV infection. To eradicate these problems and achieve the full and equal participation of women, UNESCAP has been making special efforts to eliminate discriminatory practices and mainstream gender considerations within governing institutions.

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Beijing Platform for Action's 12 critical areas of concern guide the Commission's work for women. Over the last decade, UNESCAP has emphasized the importance of ratification and implementation of the Convention in the region and has supported networks of civil society and their dialogues with national governments. It has also organized workshops and expert group meetings on topics such as effective implementation of the Convention at the domestic level, legislation prohibiting discrimination, equal protection of law and provision of remedies against acts of gender-based discrimination. And as part of its overall analytical work, UNESCAP is examining the use of CEDAW and the Beijing Platform for Action, in addition to the UN Millennium Development Goals indicators, to monitor and address discrimination against women.

Persons with disabilities: In the past 15 years, UNESCAP has also been pioneering the region's efforts to promote an inclusive, barrier-free and rights-based society for persons with disabilities. From 1993 to 2002, it took the initiatives to declare the world's first regional decade on persons with disabilities to promote disability-sensitive policy development. In the second Asian Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons (2003-2012), UNESCAP actively promotes the implementation of the Biwako Millennium Framework for Action towards an Inclusive, Barrier-free and Rights-based Society for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific (BMF). As regional policy guidelines, BMF emphasizes a human rights-approach to disability issues and draws attention to the concept of "inclusiveness", which calls society to be inclusive for all and not discriminating against anybody on any grounds. For the remaining five years of the Second Decade, UNESCAP will continue to work for the rights of persons with disabilities, being mindful of the various obstacles in life, which are not only limited to disabilities. For example, standardization of sign languages would be beneficial in establishing a common means of communication for deaf people, although UNESCAP would also stress that caution is needed and that such standardization should not detract from sign languages used by linguistic minorities.

Persons with HIV/AIDS: In 2001, UNESCAP adopted a resolution on HIV/AIDS, which called upon Member States to ensure, among other things, freedom from discrimination and elimination of stigma associated with the disease. Since then, the Commission has advocated a more inclusive society for people living with HIV/AIDS who face a range of discrimination. Often times, inadequate and inaccurate knowledge about the disease has led to such restrictions and exclusion. UNESCAP has committed itself to overcoming this discrimination by educating policymakers and advocate for the adoption of more inclusive polices. HIV/AIDS prevention through education and communication, particularly directed at risk groups, including youth, drug users, migrants and mobile populations, is another aspect of the Commission's work in this area. Such awareness-raising leads not only to prevention but also to protection of people with HIV/AIDS against additional sufferings from discrimination based on the false understanding of the disease.

Older people: UNESCAP has continued its efforts for older people, who have also been a target of discrimination, stressing their full and equal participation in society. Today, the population of Asia and the Pacific is rapidly ageing, with 52 per cent of the world's older population residing in the region. Ageing raises concerns of income security, sustainability of public health services and pension systems. Moreover, there are a number of negative stereotypes against older persons, of whom many also suffer from further discrimination for belonging to other disadvantaged groups, such as the minorities and women. With this reality, UNESCAP focuses on developing and strengthening policies to address the population ageing, namely social protection, health and the enabling and supportive environments for ageing.

In 1999-the International Year of Older Persons-Governments in the UNESCAP region endorsed the very first regional Macao Plan of Action on Ageing for Asia and the Pacific, and a year later the Guidelines on Implementation of the Macao Plan of Action were adopted. Against this background, UNESCAP has conducted regional surveys on national policies and programmes in 2000, 2002 and most recently 2005-2006. It accords high priority in promoting the realization of the Shanghai Implementation Strategy for the Madrid and Macao Plans of Action on Ageing, adopted in 2002, through technical support and assistance to Member States and civil society. In recent years, Governments and civil society have begun to make concerted efforts to include older persons as partners in social development projects. This reflects the growing realization that older persons can make a crucial contribution to ensure the successful implementation of policies on social welfare and supportive social and physical environments, not only for themselves but for all.

Health care: UNESCAP also focuses on specific aspects of daily life, which particular social groups are often denied access to, such as health care. In May 2007, Commission members adopted a resolution that promotes universal health-care coverage, which indicates the growing concerns over the impoverishing effects of catastrophic health-care expenditures on individuals, particularly the poor. The region still sees high ratios of out-of-pocket expenditure on health, which could be as high as 80 per cent in certain countries and forces many to avoid receiving medical treatment, even when necessary, or to turn to ineffective alternatives. Worse, high medical expenditures often push the poor further into poverty, driving them to sell their only means of livelihood, such as cattle or land, or to go into deeper debt. As a result, there exists a vicious and perpetual cycle of poverty and increasing medical expenditures. To end this brutal cycle and ensure access to basic health-care services for all, UNESCAP has worked closely with Member States to promote and implement universal health-care coverage. The resolution's adoption signifies the regional norm-setting, that Member States recognized the importance of ensuring such universal access. UNESCAP likewise continues to work on the capacity-building of member countries in ensuring such services through analytical work, organizing workshops and sharing experiences in the region.

Many people suffer various restrictions on their rights and freedom as a result of belonging to multiple target groups. Older women with disabilities in an ethnic minority group, possibly and probably, suffer not only from "double", but "triple" or "quadruple", jeopardy. UNESCAP recognizes that there exists no short-term solution for all of these distinctions, exclusions and restrictions. However, as a part of the United Nations system, the Commission pledges to continue its works to promote and encourage respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for every individual. After all, that is the United Nations founding purpose engraved in its Charter 62 years ago: "To be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations in the attainment of these common ends".