This conference, the first of its kind at a global level, took place in the Beijing International Convention Center in Beijing, the capital city of the Popular Republic of China (PRC), under the auspices of the WHO and the Chinese Disabled Persons Federation (CDPF). It was hosted by the Chinese Research in Rehabilitation Center for Deaf Children (CRRCDC) and by the Center of Hearing and Speech Rehabilitation of the CRRCDC.

The support for the Conference was provided by the Minitries of Education, Civil Affairs and Health of the PRC and by the Chinese Associations of Preventive Medicine and Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons. The President of the Conference was Mr. Wang Xinxian from the CDPF and the Co-Chairman, Dr. Serge Resnikoff, Coordinator of the Prevention and Attention of Chronical Diseases Area of the WHO. The Academic Committee was integrated by 25 specialists from China, Switzerland, Australia, India, Denmark, UK,  Hong Kong, Canadá and Saudi Arabia and coordinated by Dr. Andrew Smith, Director of the Blindness and Deafness Prevention Area at the WHO.

More than 1,200 persons, related with the field of HI, from more than 70 countries attended the Conference. In the Opening Session,  the Presidium was integrated by the Chief of the State Council, the CDPF President, Dr. Catherine Le Galés-Camus, Associate General Director of non Transmissible Diseases and Mental Health of the WHO, the Minister of Health of the PRC and Dr. Suchitra Prasansuk, President of Hearing International.

Fifteen Key Lectures were presented in the first day sessions. In the second day, during the “Setting-up National Programs” session, papers from Brazil, Nigeria, China, Indonesia, Bolivia, Malaysia and Mexico were presented. All of them showed the general aspects of the actual situation and the possibilities to face HI in each country in the near future. Free papers were presented simultaneously in four different rooms in an exhausting timetable from 8:30 to 18:00, only with short breaks for coffee and lunch. 

In the session on “Early Identification and Intervention of HI and Deafness”, Berruecos, López-Vázquez y Cacho, presented the paper titled “Analysis of Attitudes and Knowledge of MDs towards HI and Deafness”, in which they provide a clear demonstration of the lack of knowledge and wrong attitudes of most of the MDs in this field, in a path that leads to a severe delay in the actions needed for the secondary and tertiary prevention of HI and Deafness.

In addition to de Bolivia, Brazil, China, Indonesia, Nigeria, Malaysia and Mexico delegates there were speakers from Australia, Belarus, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Ghana, Holland, Japan, Madagascar, Nepal, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Uganda, UK and USA.  We must emphasize that unfortunately from Latin America were delegates only from Brazil, Bolivia and Mexico.

The sessions were dedicated and centered in the following subjects:  Setting up National Programmes for Prevention; Prevention of HI in the Community and in the Primary Level of Health Care; Epidemiology and Economic Aspects of HI; Prevention of hearing disorders through the Life Span; Prevention of Particular Causes of HI; Provision of Affordable HA and Service; Technologies of Assistant Devices (3 sessions); Early Detection and Intervention of HI in Neonates, Infants and Young Children (3 sessions) and finally, Hearing and Speech Rehabilitation, that required five sessions.

All the papers were presented on April 26, 27 and 28. The Closing Ceremony was particularly emotional because of the participation of persons with different kinds of disabilities, including people with profound SNHL. The CDPF President made the summary of the Conference and he announced the “Beijing Declaration” that will be worldwide distributed very soon.