2022 Virtual Special Olympics East Asia Unified Schools Leadership Forum

A recording of these remarks can be found on YouTube and Tencent Video

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I thank the Special Olympics East Asia for the invitation to address the 2022 Special Olympics East Asia Unified Schools Leadership Forum and Youth Leadership Summit.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a human crisis of unprecedented scale, deepening pre-existing inequalities, exposing the extent of exclusion, and highlighting that work on disability inclusion is imperative.

People with disabilities – one billion people globally, which accounts for 15 per cent of the global population – are one of the most excluded groups in our society and are amongst the hardest hit in this crisis in terms of fatalities.

Even under normal circumstances, persons with disabilities are less likely to have equal access to health care, education, employment and to participate in the community. They are more likely to live in poverty, experience higher rates of violence, neglect and abuse, and are amongst the most marginalized in any crisis-affected community.

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund, an estimated 43 million children with disabilities live in East Asia and the Pacific. Exclusion of these children takes on many forms in every country in this region. Many have limited access to basic services, such as education, protection and psychosocial support and live in abject poverty.

We cannot and must not let this continue.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development pledges to leave no one behind, including persons with disabilities and other disadvantaged groups, and has recognized disability as a cross-cutting issue, to be considered in the implementation of all its goals.

With less than eight years left for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) deadline, there is an urgent need for all of us to work together to advance the rights of persons with disabilities around the world. We can support persons with disabilities to remove barriers and empower themselves and others to lead efforts towards positive change in their own lives and in their communities around the world.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The road to inclusion is long, and the challenges are many.

Today’s forum provides us with a timely opportunity to learn from good practices and experience from different countries and regions towards the achievement of disability-inclusive development.

The United Nations stands ready to support efforts to improve the protection and promotion of the rights of persons with disabilities.

The United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy, adopted by the Secretary-General in 2019, provides the foundation for sustainable and transformative progress on disability inclusion through all the pillars of the work of the United Nations, namely: peace and security, human rights, and development.

The rights of persons with disabilities to take part on an equal basis with others in education, health, cultural life, recreation, leisure and sport are clearly recognized by the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which also stipulates that States parties should take appropriate measures to this end.

Taking education as an example, inclusive education is central to the provision of quality education for all, which contributes directly to SDG 4. When quality inclusive education is delivered in an effective and sustainable way, and with the coherent support of stakeholders, schools, and communities, it can offer short- and long-term benefits to all learners.

We also recognize that sport is an important measure to achieve this endeavor, as it has the ability to transcend linguistic, cultural, racial and social barriers. This, along with its widespread popularity, offers a unique tool in promoting awareness and understanding of human rights and in reducing stigma and discrimination of all kinds.

I look forward to learning from the many good practices today on how our community is working together towards inclusive and unified education and beyond through sport.

For the United Nations in China, we have a strong disability mainstreaming mandate through the United Nations Theme Group on Disability as a unique, comprehensive, multi-stakeholder platform for dialogue and advocacy to promote equal rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities. We stand ready to support partners in ensuring disability-inclusive international engagement and cooperation to guarantee that no one is left behind.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Persons with disabilities, as both agents and beneficiaries of change, can fast track the process towards inclusive and sustainable development.

I would like to conclude with the words of Secretary-General Mr. António Guterres at the launch of the Policy Brief on Persons with Disabilities and COVID-19: “When we secure the rights of people with disabilities, we are investing in our common future”.

Let us remove physical, information, cultural, and societal barriers towards resilient societies and create opportunities that truly leave no one behind.

Let me conclude, but also taking this opportunity to commend the Special Olympics, an organization that has often looked and protected people who are left at the periphery of our consciousness because of intellectual disabilities. I thank the leadership of Tim Shriver and his entire team all over the world, working tirelessly to advance people who have been left behind because of intellectual disabilities.

Thank you very much.