Saudi Arabia has affirmed that it cares for the rights of people with disabilities, Assistant President of Human Rights Commission Dr. Hisham bin Abdulrahman Al Al-Sheikh confirmed. The Kingdom"s care, which stems from its well-established principles and values, has been manifested in taking many legislative measures to strengthen and protect the rights of people with disabilities. The affirmation came in a speech delivered by Dr. Al Al-Sheikh during the opening session of the 16th Conference of States Parties to the CRPD (COSP16) held in New York from June 13 to 15. Dr. Al Al-Sheikh led the Kingdom"s delegation to the conference, which was also attended by Saudi Arabia"s permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador Abdulaziz Alwasil. Dr. Al Al-Sheikh said the legal framework for the rights of persons with disabilities in the Kingdom was consistent with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), as it has guaranteed their rights in several fields such as education and health, as well as accessibility, non-discrimination, and equality and equal opportunities. He pointed out that the programs and initiatives of Saudi Arabia"s Vision 2030 included strengthening and protecting the rights of people with disabilities. These initiatives empowered people with disabilities to receive appropriate job opportunities, in addition to education that ensures their independence and integration into society as active members. Dr. Al Al-Sheikh stated that the procedures and measures that Saudi Arabia has adopted to take care of people with disabilities contributed to increasing the ratio of their participation in the labor market from 7.7% in 2016 to 12.4% in 2022. The number of licensed establishments with suitable work environments for people with disabilities in the Kingdom reached 2,166 by the end of 2022. Despite what has been achieved in this regard, Dr. Al Al-Sheikh affirmed that Saudi Arabia would continue to move forward on the path of supporting and strengthening the rights of people with disabilities in order to keep pace with developments on this front.