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China-sponsored APEC meeting on disability held in Philippines

Xinhua, September 3, 2015 Adjust font size:

The first Meeting of APEC Group of Friends on Disability (APEC GOF), which was sponsored by China and attended by delegates from 19 economies, opened in Cebu, Philippines on Thursday.

The meeting, held alongside the 3rd APEC Senior Officials' Meeting, marks the official incorporation of the disability issues into the APEC framework.

Consensus was reached at the meeting through constructive discussion on how to carry out pragmatic cooperation and promote disability-inclusive development in the Asia-Pacific region.

The meeting reiterated the close relationship between persons with disabilities and economic development, and advocated further empowerment of persons with disabilities and removal of the barriers against their participation in economy. APEC economies and related sub-fora were encouraged to develop disability- inclusive economy and enable persons with disabilities to create economic wealth through implementation of effective measures.

The outcome document of the meeting will be submitted to the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting to be held on Nov. 18-19, 2015 in the Philippine capital of Manila.

There are a total of 650 million persons with disabilities in the Asia-Pacific region, accounting for 65 percent of the world total, according to the China Disabled Persons' Federation.

The Chinese government has always been taking an active part in the international disability-related affairs while committed to developing the work on disability in China. During the 22nd APEC Economic Leaders' week in 2014, a high-level event on "Equal Access, Inclusive Development" was sponsored by China and aimed to promote the incorporation of the disability issues into the APEC framework.

The joint initiative including 10 proposals was adopted by the event and aroused wide attention of the APEC economies on the disability issues.

At the Second APEC Senior Officials' Meeting held in May, 2015, the concept note of "Promoting Disability-inclusive Development in the Asia-Pacific Region" submitted by China received extensive support from the APEC economies. It was decided by consensus that APEC Group of Friends on Disability be established to jointly promote disability-inclusive development and advance sustained prosperity and development in the Asia-Pacific region. Endi