(Bandar Seri Begawan, 3rd) Brunei's Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Nazmi, stated in a message marking the 2025 International Day of Persons with Disabilities that Brunei, together with all United Nations member states, will jointly celebrate the 32nd International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3, 2025. This year's theme is "Promoting Disability-Inclusive Societies for Social Progress." He pointed out that this theme aligns with the direction of the National Action Plan for Persons with Different Abilities under the National Social Issues Committee, emphasizing the creation of a more inclusive environment and ecosystem, including accessible infrastructure, disability-friendly facilities and communications, anti-discrimination practices in public spaces, as well as incorporating the voices of persons with disabilities in policy development and improvement.
Since the implementation of the Persons with Disabilities Order on October 1, 2021, a total of 5,443 individuals have registered in the registry of persons with disabilities. Currently, 7,615 people receive disability allowances, of which 1,195 also receive both the old-age pension and disability allowance. In addition, 3,164 caregivers looking after persons with disabilities are receiving caregiver allowances. The Minister emphasized that Brunei continues to actively uphold and protect the rights of persons with different abilities through a "whole of nation" approach, and has implemented and achieved multiple measures this year.
In enhancing daily accessibility and rights protection, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications jointly established a task force on disability vehicle stickers to review the use of parking spaces for people with disabilities and enforcement processes, in order to strengthen accessibility and protect related rights. For financial accessibility, Brunei's Central Bank announced that starting from 2026, a new series of banknotes will be issued. The new notes will feature tactile embossing to help the visually impaired identify different denominations—a design completed in cooperation with the Brunei Darussalam National Association of the Blind—demonstrating the nation's efforts to improve payment convenience.
In the education sector, continuous expansion is also ongoing. As of September 2025, government educational institutions from preschool to secondary schools have registered 3,180 students with special needs, and have expanded opportunities for the participation of students with disabilities through annual activities, including recitation competitions, collage creation, solo singing, Bruneian traditional and national costume exhibitions, as well as organizing training camps for primary and secondary schools. Special religious education has also made significant progress, including curriculum alignment and the provision of adaptive teaching materials covering modules such as worship practices, Jawi literacy, and Braille learning. In 2024, 64 students with disabilities passed the religious primary school certificate examination and took an active part in the Qur'an recitation completion ceremony and Ramadan activities. Religious schools have set up 44 learning support rooms, and teachers' professional skills have also been enhanced through pedagogy, educational psychology, and collaborative therapy training. The number of related students increased from 804 in 2024 to 918 in 2025, guided by 92 teachers in 2025.
In terms of sports achievements, athletes with disabilities continue to win glory for the nation. At the 2nd Southeast Asian Deaf Games in Jakarta, Bruneian hearing-impaired athletes claimed three bronze medals. At the Kuala Lumpur Para Swimming Circuit, swimmer Mohd Danial Hakim bin Harjimmey won five gold and one silver, breaking multiple national records, and will serve as the official brand ambassador for Heidelberg Materials Butra Sdn Bhd starting in 2026, hoping to inspire more people. For social security support, the SafeLink project will be launched on August 18, 2025, conducted by Together 4 Autism in collaboration with multiple private organizations under the 36th Mid-Level Officials Management Development Programme. The project provides safety wristbands with QR codes containing emergency contact information, proactively safeguarding the safety and well-being of children with autism.
In terms of regional and national recognition, the Council for the Welfare of Persons with Different Abilities won the "ASEAN Outstanding Social Welfare and Development Award 2025" in the non-governmental organizations category, while An-Nur Harapan received the private sector category award; the awards will be presented in August 2025 during the 12th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Social Welfare and Development. In the same year, the Council for the Welfare of Persons with Different Abilities, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, and the Brunei Youth Council jointly organized the first National Conference on Persons with Different Abilities, bringing together over 300 policymakers, NGOs, and international experts. The dialogue results from the conference will become an important basis for the National Action Plan for Persons with Different Abilities 2025–2029.
The Minister concluded by inviting everyone to celebrate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and to continue to remind each other to cherish the value and contributions of persons with disabilities to the nation, and to extend the sincerest wishes of 'Happy International Day of Persons with Disabilities' to all persons with disabilities in Brunei.
Since the implementation of the Persons with Disabilities Order on October 1, 2021, a total of 5,443 individuals have registered in the registry of persons with disabilities. Currently, 7,615 people receive disability allowances, of which 1,195 also receive both the old-age pension and disability allowance. In addition, 3,164 caregivers looking after persons with disabilities are receiving caregiver allowances. The Minister emphasized that Brunei continues to actively uphold and protect the rights of persons with different abilities through a "whole of nation" approach, and has implemented and achieved multiple measures this year.
In enhancing daily accessibility and rights protection, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications jointly established a task force on disability vehicle stickers to review the use of parking spaces for people with disabilities and enforcement processes, in order to strengthen accessibility and protect related rights. For financial accessibility, Brunei's Central Bank announced that starting from 2026, a new series of banknotes will be issued. The new notes will feature tactile embossing to help the visually impaired identify different denominations—a design completed in cooperation with the Brunei Darussalam National Association of the Blind—demonstrating the nation's efforts to improve payment convenience.
In terms of sports achievements, athletes with disabilities continue to win glory for the nation. At the 2nd Southeast Asian Deaf Games in Jakarta, Bruneian hearing-impaired athletes claimed three bronze medals. At the Kuala Lumpur Para Swimming Circuit, swimmer Mohd Danial Hakim bin Harjimmey won five gold and one silver, breaking multiple national records, and will serve as the official brand ambassador for Heidelberg Materials Butra Sdn Bhd starting in 2026, hoping to inspire more people. For social security support, the SafeLink project will be launched on August 18, 2025, conducted by Together 4 Autism in collaboration with multiple private organizations under the 36th Mid-Level Officials Management Development Programme. The project provides safety wristbands with QR codes containing emergency contact information, proactively safeguarding the safety and well-being of children with autism.
In terms of regional and national recognition, the Council for the Welfare of Persons with Different Abilities won the "ASEAN Outstanding Social Welfare and Development Award 2025" in the non-governmental organizations category, while An-Nur Harapan received the private sector category award; the awards will be presented in August 2025 during the 12th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Social Welfare and Development. In the same year, the Council for the Welfare of Persons with Different Abilities, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, and the Brunei Youth Council jointly organized the first National Conference on Persons with Different Abilities, bringing together over 300 policymakers, NGOs, and international experts. The dialogue results from the conference will become an important basis for the National Action Plan for Persons with Different Abilities 2025–2029.
The Minister concluded by inviting everyone to celebrate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and to continue to remind each other to cherish the value and contributions of persons with disabilities to the nation, and to extend the sincerest wishes of 'Happy International Day of Persons with Disabilities' to all persons with disabilities in Brunei.