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Since August 2022, under the coordination of the United Nations Resident Coordinator's Office, the UNPRPD MPTF 4th Funding Call Inception Phase working group in China, composed of UNESCO Multisectoral Regional Office for East-Asia, ILO Country Office for China and Mongolia, UNFPA, UN Women, and WHO, along with the support of various stakeholders in the disability community and the disability sector, has been engaged in the initial phase of the UNPRPD programme in China.

Through Induction Workshop, Country Situational Analysis, empowerment of organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs), and stakeholder consultations, the programme has now progressed to its final stages. A draft programme proposal has taken shape, and the upcoming work will primarily focus on the areas of accessibility, sexual and reproductive health, and inclusive employment. Concurrently, it is expected that the establishment of effective dialogue mechanisms will further promote the mainstreaming of disability issues. To enhance the design of the programme and better respond to the current state and practical needs of disability work in China, the UNPRPD China working group, in collaboration with the East-Lake Public Interest Service Center jointly organized this consultation meeting on 2 September 2023 in Wuhan.

The main objectives of this meeting are to introduce the new action plan for the UNPRPD China programme, gather input from various stakeholders to improve the programme proposal content, and explore opportunities for broader collaboration. It also aims to exchange practical experiences in the fields of accessibility, sexual and reproductive health, and inclusive employment, as well as to discuss new directions for mainstreaming disability issues and to enhance the understanding of and engagement with OPDs in the programme execution.

Prof. Shahbaz Khan, Director of the UNESCO Multisectoral Regional Office for East Asia and Chair of the UN Theme Group on Disability in China, delivered a video opening speech. In his address, he sincerely thanked Prof. Zhang Wanhong and all the team members of the East-Lake Public Interest Service Center for their strong support for this conference, emphasizing the profound significance of this consultation meeting for the next phase of work under the UNPRPD China programme. Prof. Khan pointed out that the next phase of the programme will focus on empowering persons with disabilities and eliminating various forms of barriers to inclusion. He reiterated the UN’s unwavering commitment to the goal of leaving no one behind.

Prof. Zhang Wanhong, Dean of the Human Rights Research Institute at Wuhan University and Director of the Professional Committee for the Protection of the Rights and Interests of persons with disabilities within the Research Society for the Development of Persons with Disabilities, delivered an opening speech. Prof. Zhang warmly welcomed all participants to this consultation meeting, emphasizing the crucial role of the UN in advancing disability inclusion. Prof. Zhang and his team expressed their full support for the implementation of the UNPRPD China programme. He also highlighted the alignment of the Proposal's three priorities with the newly enacted Law on the Construction of Barrier-Free Living Environment, which officially came into effect on September 1, 2023.

Following the opening ceremony, Ms. Zeng Qingyi, National Professional Officer from UNESCO Multisectoral Regional Office for East-Asia, provided an overview of the UNPRPD programme. This included a review of the key achievements of the UNPRPD programme from 2015 to 2019, the overall design concept of the programme's four phases, the latest developments in the fourth phase of the programme, and the main findings of the analysis of the disability situation in China. Subsequently, Ms. Zeng looked ahead to the future, outlining the potential macro-opportunities in the disability field and offering targeted recommendations.

This final consultation meeting brought together approximately 40 participants, including government representatives, OPDs, academic institutions, and members of the UN, both online and offline. The meeting focused on sharing professional experiences in the three main areas of accessibility, sexual and reproductive health, and inclusive employment. Specific topics included sharing of best practices in museum disability inclusion, the current status and recommendations of digital literacy research for persons with disabilities in China, international experiences in the sexual and reproductive health of persons with disabilities, implementing proactive employment policies to promote high-quality and full employment of persons with disabilities, career planning and aspirations of disability community members, pilot experiences in employment support for persons with intellectual disabilities, and the current status of employment for persons with hearing impairments.

Following the thematic presentations, participants engaged in in-depth discussions on various topics. The meeting also collected participants’ feedback. These feedback insights will contribute to further refinement of the programme proposal content and create opportunities for expanded collaboration with relevant stakeholders.