Since 1992, the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) has been annually observed on 3 December around the world. The theme for this year’s IDPD is “Empowering persons with disabilities and ensuring inclusiveness and equality.” This theme focuses on empowering persons with disabilities for the inclusive, equitable and sustainable development envisaged in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

China has made great strides in its efforts to include persons with disabilities in the society. Since the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) ten years ago, China has adopted and amended laws and legislations covering areas such as education, employment, social security, accessible environment and rehabilitation, including the revised Regulations on the Education of Persons with Disabilities, which promotes the concept of inclusive education. China was also one of the first countries to issue a National Plan on the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda, committing to lifting about 30 million rural population out of poverty by 2020, among whom many are persons with disabilities. 

To support the government’s efforts, the ILO, UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF, and UNFPA have been working together with national partners and stakeholders in reducing inequalities and promoting disability inclusion in China in the past years, including with the support of the UN Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD). 

The 2018 International Day of Persons with Disabilities - China Disability Policy Dialogue brings together 80 key partners and stakeholders, including the government, academia, media and civil society - in particular persons with disabilities and their representative organizations (DPOs), as well as the private sector. It provides an opportunity to identify and discuss pressing issues in the disability agenda with a gender mainstreaming, and to take stock of progress in the implementation of the CRPD in alignment with the SDGs from a disability inclusion perspective. 

The Policy Dialogue will feature presentations and panel discussions, focusing on the areas of employment, education, health, access to justice and social security, accessibility and media reporting for persons with disabilities. It will also serve as a space for consultations with DPOs and stakeholder groups to discuss gaps in data and evidence-based policy, leading to further multi-stakeholder collaborative actions on key disabilities issues in China.