A memorial wall dedicated to the UN convention on the rights of the disabled was unveiled in the athletes' village for Beijing Paralympics on Saturday.

Addressing the ceremony, Chinese Vice Premier Hui Liangyu said the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was a guiding document for the international community to deal with affairs concerning the disabled and a milestone in the progress of human civilization.

He said the wall would serve as a reminder for people to pay more attention to persons with disabilities and strive to build a more equal, more inclusive and more harmonious world.

Philip Craven, president of the International Paralympic Committee, said the wall would become an important symbol in the paralympic history.

The convention, coming into force on May 3 this year, outlaws all forms of discrimination at work on the basis of disability, including in hiring, promotion and working conditions.

The athletes' village for the Beijing Paralympics was also opened Saturday, which will be home to more than 7,000 athletes and officials from 148 countries and regions during the Sept. 6-17 Games.

Hui also attended the village's opening ceremony.

(Xinhua  News Agency August 31, 2008)