The agreement will also see the two organisations work together to help ensure greater inclusion into society.

The APC revealed that the MoU stemmed from a mutual desire to use sport to empower children and youth with disabilities to reach their full potential and drive social inclusion.

APC President Majid Rashed signed the MoU at a ceremony with Eltayeb Adam, the UNICEF Representative in the Gulf Area.

"Today is an historic day for the entire family of the APC," Rashed said.

"We are very proud to be associated with UNICEF whose aims and objectives align so closely with ours.

"This new association will help us achieve our new strategic objectives which also focus on using sport to engage young people with disabilities and promote social inclusion.

"We look forward to implementing the MoU across Asia which is the biggest continent with the highest number of children and youth with disabilities.

"I am hopeful that all the 44 National Paralympic Committees within the five sub regions of Asia will benefit from this association contributing to the growth of the Paralympic Movement in the region and ultimately a more inclusive society."

The agreement is claimed to complement both organisation’s commitment to promoting the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The MoU outlines several partnership objectives, including support for initiatives that increase provision of assistive devices, scale up provision of accessible infrastructure and the use of sport to eradicate the stigma and discrimination faced by children and youth with disabilities.

Three areas of cooperation were also identified, with the APC and UNICEF set to collaborate on public communication around the key regional and global high-profile para-sport events.

The organisations will also lobby for more investment in programmes, assistive devices and infrastructure for children and youth with disabilities across government and the private sector.

Community engagement was highlighted as another area where cooperation could occur, with the aim of promoting positive social and behavioural change through work with media, communities and individuals as well as policy and legislative changes.

"We are excited to partner with the Asian Paralympic Committee in our mission to end discrimination and negative attitudes against some of the most marginalized and excluded children and young people in society,"Adam, who signed the agreement on behalf of UNICEF, said.

"Our partnership with the APC strives to defend the rights of children with disabilities and will help give them a fair chance to fulfil their potential, leaving no one behind."

The MoU is due to through to February 2022, with regular reviews set to take place.