On September 8, 2009, the Start-up Ceremony of the WHO Collaborating Centre for the Prevention and Rehabilitation of Hearing Impairment was held at the Great Hall of People in Beijing. Mr. Wang Xinxian, President of China Disabled Persons’ Federation (CDPF) was present at the ceremony. Dr. Ivo Kocur, Team Leader of Prevention of Blindness and Deafness Programme, WHO, read the designation letters on behalf of the WHO, and spoke highly of the work accomplished by China Rehabilitation Research Center for Deaf Children (CRRCDC)during the past several years, such as participating in the Second National Sample Survey on Disability in China, organizing National Ear Care Day Activities annually, carrying out WWHearing pilot projects for provision of hearing aids and services in China, standardizing the professional development of the course of hearing and speech rehabilitation, holding the first International Conference on Prevention and Rehabilitation of Hearing Impairment in 2007 etc. Mr. Sun Xiande, Vice President of CDPF, highlighted the significance of the designation of WHO collaborating centre and expressed the hope and requirements of future work in his address. About 200 persons were present at the ceremony, including officials from WHO, Ministry of Health and CDPF, experts and representatives from concerned departments and institutions.