President emphasizes they are 'equal members of global family'

President Xi Jinping called for special attention in taking care of people with disabilities because they are "equal members of the global family".

Xi made the remark on Thursday in a congratulatory letter to the High-Level Intergovernmental Meeting on the Midpoint Review of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities (2013-22). Meeting attendees will review the progress made in the past five years and agree on future policy for building disability-inclusive societies.

Xi said special attention is needed for people with disabilities to promote sustainable development on a global scale and make sure no one is left behind. China will as always stand behind the international efforts.

China has provided examples that other countries can learn from, said Kaveh Zahedi, deputy executive secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.

"In the past five years, a million people with disabilities in China have been absorbed into the labor market," said Zahedi. "That's because 3,000 employment centers are dedicated to people with disabilities and 30,000 people worked on connecting people with disabilities with job opportunities."

State Councilor Wang Yong said Beijing is willing to further strengthen cooperation with UN agencies and Asia-Pacific countries and regions to promote the "Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities".

The idea for the decade was first brought up by China in 1992 to recognize the importance of building disability-inclusive societies in the region. According to the UN, the area has over 690 million people with disabilities.

In 2012, the Incheon Strategy to Make the Right Real for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific was approved at a meeting in South Korea to help the region track progress in improving quality of life and fulfillment of rights.

Shamshad Akhtar, executive secretary of ESCAP, said the five major challenges of people with disabilities are living in poverty, underrepresentation in political structures and decision-making processes, constrained development opportunities for women, the magnified risk posed by disasters, and being unidentified and undercounted in the region.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in his message that to overcome the challenges, the path toward inclusive, accessible and usable facilities, technologies, infrastructure, services and products must be ensured by, for and with people with disabilities.

On Friday, ESCAP is expected to release a report, Building Disability-Inclusive Societies in Asia and the Pacific: Assessing Progress of the Incheon Strategy.