On June 29, 2021, the "Legal Development and Disability Rights" organized by China Society For Human Rights Studies and jointly hosted by Wuhan University Institute of Human Rights, China Top Think Tanks-Wuhan University Academy of International Law and Global Governance, the Wuhan University Law School, the Rights and Interests Protection Professional Committee of the Society for the Development of Disabled Persons, and Wuhan East-Lake Institute For Social Advancement was successfully held in our school. The event was part of the UN Human Rights Council's 47th session on the cloud side, and the offline venue was located in the Academic Lecture Hall of Wuhan University Law School. Disability researchers and practitioners from UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Oslo Metropolitan University, Macau University of Science and Technology, the Research Office of China Disabled Persons' Federation and Beijing Xiaogan Help for the Disabled Foundation, professors and postgraduates from several human rights research institutions and law schools in China, as well as practitioners from several disability social organisations, a total of more than 100 people participated in this conference through online or offline methods.

Zhang Wanhong, Executive Director of Wuhan University Institute of Human Rights, presided over the conference. Feng Guo, Dean of Wuhan University Law School, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech. He pointed out that: on the occasion of the grand celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Party, it is significant to hold this event in the field of human rights research. In the socialist rule of law construction and human rights cause led by the Party, the level of protection of the rights of persons with disabilities in China has been continuously raised and the rule of law system has been gradually improved. This has led to more than 80 million people with disabilities escaping poverty and sharing prosperity, and has also withstood major tests of social crises such as the Covid-19, becoming a fruitful model of human rights development put forward by the Chinese people to build a community of human destiny and achieve social integration for people with disabilities.

At the conference, Professor Runi Harverson from Oslo Metropolitan University introduced the development of EU accessibility-related legislation and the problems faced in its implementation. Cai Cai, Chief of the Gender Equality and Social Integration Division of UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, reviewed the practices of countries in the Asia-Pacific region in improving their domestic legal systems and realizing equal rights for people with disabilities by referring to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Assistant Professor Chen Bo from the Faculty of Law of Macau University of Science and Technology presented how China's judicial system has been gradually improved to promote equal protection for people with disabilities through the analysis of specific adjudication documents and typical cases. Hu Zhongming, Researcher of the Research Office of the China Disabled Persons' Federation, presented the achievements of China's Disability Protection Law in the past 30 years since its implementation, including the rule of law in the protection of the rights and interests of persons with disabilities, the national development plan for the cause of persons with disabilities and the standardisation of services for persons with disabilities. Zhang Man, Project Member of the Beijing Xiaoquan Foundation for the Disabled, reviewed the process of the revision of the Regulations on Education for Persons with Disabilities and related legal developments in recent years to promote the right to integrated education for children with disabilities.

From the EU to Asia Pacific, from justice to legislation, from accessibility to integrated education, participants actively shared and exchanged ideas under the topic of legal development and disability rights, and gained a lot from the conference. The conference was open for participation on several online platforms; providing online simultaneous interpretation in English and Chinese, Chinese sign language interpretation and instant listening with subtitles to ensure barrier-free participation.

Attachment: This event is recorded on the UN website and a preview of the event can be found at NGO Events During HRC47

Edited by Wang Yuting & Wu Liuqing