The partnership agreement will see the two continue to work closely together to support the development of the Paralympic Movement internationally through several initiatives and areas of collaboration.

Sir Philip said: "It is fantastic to be able to formalise the partnership between the International Paralympic Committee and UK Sport through this Memorandum of Understanding.

"Over time, the shared sporting spirit of our two organisations has become apparent and, through this partnership, I hope that we can continue to support the development of the Paralympic Movement worldwide."

UK Sport has been involved in leading international sport development activities in over 18 different countries, mainly within Southern Africa.

At the heart of this development work has been the belief that the UK should play a role in increasing opportunities for young people in developing countries to participate in sport.

Campbell added: "We were delighted to welcome Sir Philip Craven to UK Sport today to sign the MoU before our board members, in order to further cement the relationship between us and the IPC.

"The work of UK Sport in leading International Development activity is making real difference to lives across the world, in particular around high quality and inclusive sport and physical education."

The main purpose of the partnership is to enhance the capability and capacity of National Paralympic Committees worldwide.

There will be a particular focus on the region of East Africa and Portuguese speaking nations in preparation for Rio 2016, as well as to model best practice in the areas of grassroots sports development, talent pathways for children and young people with disabilities and educational resources to support coaching and teaching of disability sport.

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