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As supported by UNESCO Information for All Programme (IFAP), UNESCO Regional Office for East-Asia and the  co-organized the International Seminar on Information and Communication Accessibility and Human Rights Protection, on occasion of the 2023 International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The theme of this seminar was Universal Accessibility and the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities: Global Perspective and International Best Practices. 

More than 10 representatives from countries, including China, France, Mongolia, Malaysia, participated in the event either in person or through video, collectively exploring ways to enhance social inclusivity for persons with disabilities and promote the empowerment of persons with disabilities through accessible information dissemination. The seminar aimed to establish an international platform for exchange and collaboration, fostering the sharing of global insights, advancing information equality, highlighting China's accomplishments in the realm of accessible information dissemination, and actively contributing to the creation of a digital society that is "equal, inclusive, and shared."

In the morning session, the seminar focused on the theme “Constructing Disability Inclusive Societies: Experiences from China, Mongolia and Indonesia." Prof. LI Xinjun, Vice President of the CUC, and Prof. Shahbaz Khan, Director and Representative of UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia, delivered opening speeches. Eight experts and scholars from CUC, Hunan Disabled Persons’ Federation, General Agency of Development for People with Disabilities (Mongolia), Mongolian National Commission for UNESCO, Kota Kita (Indonesia), SAPDA Foundation (Indonesia), and Rare & Roll, gave thematic speeches. Ms. ZENG Qingyi, National Professional Officer of UNESCO Regional Office for East-Asia, served as the moderator.

During the afternoon session, the seminar shifted its focus to the theme “Universal Accessibility and the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities: Global Perspective and International Best Practices.” Prof. LIAO Xiangzhong, Secretary of the Party Committee of CUC, Prof. Shahbaz Khan, Director and Representative of UNESCO Regional Office for East-Asia, Mr. ZUO Feng, Vice-chairman and Secretary-General of the China Foundation for Human Rights Development, Mr. YOU Liang, Vice President of Executive Board of China Disabled Persons’ Federation delivered opening remarks. Mr. ZENG Xiangmin, Secretary of the Party Committee of Television School of CUC moderated the afternoon session. 

Prof. LIAO pointed out that over the years, the CUC has leveraged its disciplinary strengths to deeply engage in accessible information communication. Through solid research and practical results, it has contributed to maximizing the rights of persons with disabilities, meeting their evolving cultural and spiritual needs, and enhancing the sense of achievement, happiness, and security of vulnerable groups.

Prof. Shahbaz stressed that “UNESCO, through its Information for All Programme, places universal access to information at the forefront of building just digital societies… This seminar provides a valuable platform to discuss global trends, persistent barriers, and innovative solutions across policies, standards, technologies, and capacity building that can accelerate progress. The insights shared during this event will inform UNESCO's ongoing efforts to advance knowledge societies that leave no one behind.”

Mr. ZUO stated that in recent years, China has comprehensively promoted information accessibility, enhanced the supply of accessible terminal products, promoted technological innovation and dissemination of accessible products and services, facilitated the vivid integration of information technology with accessible environments, strengthened the construction of disciplines and talent cultivation in Braille and sign language, worked to eliminate information gaps, and contributed to the continuous improvement of the rights protection situation for specific groups such as persons with disabilities. This progress has become a vivid example of the development and progress of human rights in China, earning widespread praise from the international community.

Mr. YOU proposed suggestions for advancing information exchange and accessibility construction work: further improve relevant regulations and standards for information accessibility construction, establish and improve long-term working mechanisms for advancing information accessibility construction, increase policy support, and further strengthen publicity and international exchange cooperation.

Ten experts and scholars from UNESCO, the Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China, Renmin University of China, the University of Nottingham Ningbo China, and other relevant institutions from both China and abroad participated in the seminar and delivered keynote speeches. 

Among them, Dr. Marielza Oliveira, Director for Division for Digital Inclusion and Policies and Digital Transformation and Secretary of the Information for All Programme (IFAP) of UNESCO, delivered a video message and released the .

“IFAP has for many years made information accessibility one of its priority areas, an area of IFAP-s work that directly resonates with the theme of this seminar. Our work in this area is guided by the principle that access to information is a fundamental human right, one that must be realized for all, including vulnerable and marginalized groups such as persons with disabilities, women and girls, the elderly and others.”, Marielza Oliveira

Ms. HU Xianhong, Programme Specialist at UNESCO, IFAP Secretariat, delivered on online speech on "The Humanistic and Human Rights-Based Approach of Digital Transformation and Meaningful Access Including Persons with Disabilities."

“The new  underscores our commitment to addressing accessibility and disability as a key challenge in bridging the digital divide. We prioritize promoting meaningful access, digital inclusion and the ethical governance and application of frontier digital technologies- ranging from AI, including the generative AI, Blockchain, the Internet of Things (IOT), extended reality (XR), to neurotechnology, aiming to empower people with disabilities in navigating and shaping knowledge societies.”, Xianhong Hu

Following these insightful contributions, Cordel Green, Chair of the UNESCO Information for All Programme (IFAP) Working Group, addressed the importance of ethical use of AI. Highlighting the transformative impact of AI in our era, he pointed to the  as an essential framework. "I urge everyone to give special attention to the UNESCO AI Ethics Recommendation, ensuring that our advancements in AI not only preserve but also enhance human dignity and diversity.", Cordel Green remarked. He further stressed the need for responsible AI development, in alignment with universal human rights and values.

During the seminar, the “Guangming Museum” Project was launched by CUC. This pioneering project innovatively combines accessible perception (auditory, olfactory, tactile) with a digital museum model. It features a variety of content products, including accessible NFC activation of exhibition information, guided audio tours, touchable exhibits, interactive volunteer guides, and an online cloud exhibition hall. The project aims to provide an accessible museum experience for the visually impaired community. 

This seminar marks the first collaboration between UNESCO and CUC, focusing on the theoretical and practical exchange of accessible information communication on a global scale. The objective is to establish a high-level platform for exchanges with the theme of advancing global information accessibility communication and protecting human rights. During the event, Prof. FU Haizhe, Executive Director for Research Institute on Information and Communication Accessibility of CUC, announced the theme of the 2024 CUC-UNESCO Conference Theme: "Accessible Information Communication and Digital Literacy."

As of today, the event has been reported by a total of 241 news articles across 20 different languages including Chinese, Mandarin, Malay and German.