1. Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the UN Oh Joon will serve as chair of the Conference of the States Parties to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in the 2015-2016 term. This decision was announced at the closing ceremony of the seventh session of the Conference of the States Parties to the UN CRPD held at the UN Headquarters in New York from June 10 through 12.

2. The chair of the CRPD conference presides over the meetings of its 147 States Parties and relevant NGOs from across the world. In addition, he/she plays a pivotal role on behalf of the States Parties in exploring ways to better protect and promote rights and interests of persons with disabilities in cooperation with the UN and relevant NGOs.

3. The ROK will mark the first country in the Asia-Pacific region to assume the chairmanship of the Conference of the States Parties to the UN CRPD. By building upon its relevant contributions and experiences at home and abroad, it will play a leading role in international discussions on relevant issues and in the process of building a society that embraces persons with disabilities. 


                 Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFA

* unofficial translation