Mr. Chairman,

The Chinese delegation wishes to make the following observations on the issues concerning persons with disabilities, the elderly persons and the youth.

First, we should seize the opportunity to more effectively protect the rights and interests of persons with disabilities. This year, the tenth anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is a year of particular historical significance to considering the issue of persons with disabilities. Socio-economic development and joint share by persons with disabilities of the benefits of the socio-economic development underpin the efforts to effectively address the issues concerning persons with disabilities. All countries should promote the full participation of persons with disabilities in social life and fully protect their rights and interests. China is in favor of continuing to set up the special rapporteur for the issues concerning persons with disabilities by the Commission for Social Development. China is also ready to discuss the possibility to establish other relevant mechanism to monitor the implementation of the targets relating to persons with disabilities in the 2030 Agenda, as well as the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons and the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities.

Secondly, it is essential to mobilize all sectors and use multiple means to tackle the issue of aging. Aging is a common challenge faced by countries in their efforts towards sustainable development. Countries should, based on their national conditions, and fully taking into account the special needs of older persons with regard to poverty eradication, medical service, and social security, strengthen relevant legislation and policy-making and formulate development programs to address the issue of aging. At the same time, we need to utilize different resources on the part of the society and families, and encourage and support the participation of civil societies and individuals in the cause for the older persons.

Thirdly, we must encourage youth to both contribute to and benefit from the social development. As youth are an source of fresh energy for the socio-economic development, the youth development should become a priority in the social development. China supports the United Nations in focusing on youth development and formulating youth-oriented policies and programs of action. Countries should actively implement the World Program of Action for Youth, provide more guidance and training to the youth, resolve issues concerning development, employment and education, and help them contribute to the social development and progress.

Fourthly, it is important to bring into play the role of the family as a basic element in society in social development. As the most basic and vital unit of society, the family is extremely important to poverty eradication, job promotion, and social integration. Governments should incorporate the family perspective in policy making, support the United Nations system in strengthening coordination in this aspect, attach importance to family building and promote family virtues and harmony.

Mr. Chairman,

The Chinese Government attaches great importance to the issues concerning persons with disabilities, older persons, youth, and the family, and implements the relevant plans and programs of action of the United Nations.

There are 85 million persons with disabilities in China. We exert great efforts to protect and promote the rights and interests of persons with disabilities according to law. Governments at various levels in China have established inter-agency working committees to address issues concerning disabled persons; over 30 laws and regulations have been promulgated, including the Act of Protecting Persons with Disabilities. The Note on Expediting the Well-off Process for Persons with Disabilities issued by the Chinese government in 2015 provides comprehensive guidelines for protecting and improving the livelihood of persons with disabilities and helping them share the benefits of development. The recently implemented State Council Note on the Regime for Providing Subsistence Allowance to Needy Persons with Disabilities and Subsidies for Caring Persons with Serious Disabilities will directly benefit over 20 million persons with disabilities in the greatest need.

As a country that has become an aging society when its economy is not yet fully developed, China faces daunting challenges in this area. By adhering to the guideline of combining joint inputs from the state, the society, families and individuals, we try to encourage and support the joint participation of civil societies and individuals in the coordinated socio-economic development. We have gradually established a fairly comprehensive social security system that is based on social insurance, social relief and welfare, focused on basic pension support, medical care and subsistence allowance and supplemented by charity and commercial insurance.

We have further intensified our efforts to promote entrepreneurship and employment among the youth by encouraging them to build a stronger sense of entrepreneurship, to empower themselves for employment and to join the practice of entrepreneurship. Since 2008, over 2.0874 million young people in the rural areas have received micro credits; since 2009, over 16.4 million person-time vocational trainings have been provided to the young people in the rural area; 31,000 youth entrepreneurship internship bases have been established, providing internship for 210,000 young people, 53,000 of whom got jobs after internship. In order to encourage young people to participate in social activities, we started the youth volunteer campaign in 1993. Since then, there have been 268 million person-time volunteer activities for social service.

As a country with the largest number of families in the world, China always attaches great importance to the issue of family and is actively promoting family-oriented policies and programs, including actively improving urban and rural public service infrastructure, promoting urban and rural integration and providing greater external support to the family development. Efforts are being made to refine the family policies in the process of urbanization and improve the provision of basic public services to those who meet such conditions as the duration of residence based on the reform of the household registration system and the provisional regulations on residence permit. China is making active efforts to build an integrated service network for the left-behind families in the rural area by promoting local and rural urbanization to provide better basic service and psychological support to the left-behind population and to explore ways and means to build a relevant long-term service and care system featuring the Chinese characteristics.

Based on the specific condition of its country, the Chinese government will continue to put people at the center of its endeavor, and make realizing, maintaining and developing the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the people the starting point and the ultimate goal of all its undertakings. China will participate fully in the international cooperation in the area of social development, strengthen its exchanges and cooperation with the international community and contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of persons with disabilities and older persons, guiding youth to their assumption of their social responsibility, and bringing into play the basic role of the family.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.