He was speaking at the 12th session of the Conference of State Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at the United Nations headquarters in New York City.

Rashed highlighted how the 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta and the 2018 Winter Paralympic Games in Pyeongchang had altered the mindset of people to the growth of the Paralympic Movement in their countries.

"In my position as President of the APC I am privileged to see first-hand the power of sport to change the lives of persons with disabilities," the UAE official said in his welcome address.

"For the individual, aside from the health benefits, it can give people the confidence to become more involved and contribute to society. 

"More widely, it can challenge society's perceptions of what people with disabilities are capable of, leading to more inclusion."

Rashed also introduced a side-event called "Promotion of Peace on the Korean Peninsula and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities through Sports, Leisure and Culture".

During the session, APC vice president Jang Hang-Sook made a presentation on how the Unified Korean sports teams have been created and their impact.

Rashed, who was a panelist in a discussion called "One Billion Voices: Making the Invisible Visible: Inspiring Individuals to Participate in Leisure Activities and Sport", also presented the efforts being made by the APC to promote and develop Para-sport in Asia.

Continuing his address, he said the performances of Asian Para Games and Paralympic athletes had made them heroes in their own countries. 

"They have become role models for all young people, not just those with disabilities," he said.

"They show that diversity is something to be celebrated, that however different we may appear to be on the surface, there is much more that we have in common.

"And of course, this amazing ability of sport to build bridges was demonstrated so well in Jakarta when the Unified Korean team marched at the Opening Ceremony and later competed in swimming and table tennis as one team."

Rashed emphasised the partnerships between organisations, Government agencies and the private sector before joining Brazilian federal senator Mara Gabrilli, United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) programme officer Anna Burlyaeva, UAE Special Olympics athlete Chaica Al Qassimi and Brazilian Paralympic Committee President Mizael Conrado for further discussions on the topic.

APC chief executive Tarek Souei joined Rashed for several side meetings with UNICEF and various national governing bodies at the three-day conference.

Souei said the meetings had been informative and productive, adding: "It has been a great opportunity to discuss the needs of the Paralympic Movement in Asia further and we hope that this will be the start of future partnerships."