RIYADH: Saudi Arabia continues to support people with disabilities through several legislative, funding and other means, a representative of the Kingdom explained at a UN event in New York this week. Dr. Hisham Aal Al-Sheikh, assistant to the president of the Saudi Human Rights Commission, who led the Kingdom’s delegation, made the comments at the 16th Session of the Conference of States Parties to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, or CRPD, in New York from June 13-15. “This attention has been reflected in the adoption of many legislative measures aimed at promoting and protecting their rights,” he said. Aal Al-Sheikh said the statutory framework for the rights of persons with disabilities in the Kingdom is consistent with the CRPD’s. It guarantees their rights in the areas of education, health, accessibility, non-discrimination and equal opportunities. He said the programs of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 plan upholds the rights of people with disabilities, ensuring they are fully integrated into Saudi society. Aal Al-Sheikh said the participation of people with disabilities in the labor market rose from 7.7 percent in 2016 to 12.4 percent in 2022. There were 2,166 companies at the end of 2022 that met disability-friendly criteria, he said. Aal Al-Sheikh stressed that the Kingdom, despite the nation’s considerable advancements on this front, would continue to ensure world-class support for people with disabilities. The conference was also attended by Abdulaziz Alwasil, Saudi Arabia’s permanent representative to the UN, Dr. Sarah Al-Faisal, a member of the Human Rights Commission, and Dr. Manal Al-Maqoushi and Hashem Al-Ghalib, from the Authority for the Care of People with Disabilities.