Official touts China's success in jobs for disabled

An International Labor Organization official on Wednesday praised China for adding 1.8 million new jobs for people with disabilities over the past five years.

Director of the ILO Country Office for China and Mongolia Changhee Lee described the progress, together with the success in pulling 7 million people with disabilities out of dire poverty over the same period, as remarkable achievements.

He said the success hinges on the determined leadership of the Communist Party of China, Chinese government and China Disabled Persons' Federation.

Employment is the best way for China's estimated 85 million people with disabilities to achieve social inclusion and maintain financial autonomy, just like elsewhere in the world, Lee said at a meeting in Beijing, where people with disabilities shared their stories of escaping poverty.

He said similar to other countries, people with disabilities still face considerable barriers in access to education, employment, healthcare and recreational activities. The group's unemployment rate is higher than other social groups in developing countries.

Removing social barriers, and unlocking economic potential and talent are the key to advancing the living conditions of people with disabilities, Lee said.

Zhang Haidi, the CDPF's chairwoman, said at the meeting that the federation will apply information technologies to help improve those people's living standards and ramp up cooperation with United Nations agencies and nongovernmental groups in poverty reduction among the group.

She called for establishing an international agency to coordinate such efforts and promote knowledge sharing.

The meeting was among a series of events held this month to mark the restoration of the People's Republic of China's legal seat at the UN 50 years ago.

The federation's Vice-Chairman Cheng Kai said the success stories of people with disabilities in China are evidence that China is a staunch supporter and avid participant in UN affairs.

He expected the meeting will help spread the Chinese experience, contribute to global peace and promote the development of the world's disabled communities.