Madam President,

The 61st Session of the General Assembly has just adopted the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This is a milestone in the history of the protection of the rights and interests of persons with disabilities. The Convention is the outcome of strong political will of the international community, and reflects the constructive and cooperative approach of all negotiating parties.

The Chinese government has always attached great importance to the protection of the rights and interests of persons with disabilities as well as the guarantee of their social welfare. According to the recently conducted nation-wide sampling on persons with disabilities, China has almost 83 million persons with disabilities. Over the years, the Chinese government has established and gradually improved our system for the safeguarding of the human rights of persons with disabilities, thus helping them to participate in social life on an equal footing and to share the fruits of social development. This year, the Chinese government promulgated and put into practice the China Development Outline for the Cause of Persons with Disabilities (2006-2010) with the aim of realizing "rehabilitation services for all" and other goals in this area.

Madam President,

The Chinese government is among those who promote the formulation of the Convention in early days. In the past 5 years, the Chinese delegation took an active part in the work of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Convention and made its due contribution. In order to complete the drafting of the Convention on time, many delegations, including mine, did their best to demonstrate flexibility on some contentious issues in the Convention during consultations. We are deeply convinced that the adoption of the Convention will contribute a helpful conceptual, policy and legal framework for the efforts of the international community to protect the rights and interests of persons with disabilities.

Thank you, Madam President.