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FPDN is at the UN in New York for the 11th Session of Conference of State Parties

By June 12, 2018May 29th, 2019No Comments

The 11th Session of the Conference of States Parties (COSP) to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) will kick off overnight in New York and runs from 12th to 14th June 2018 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

The annual conference brings together countries that have ratified the UN CRPD and representatives from DPOs and civil society organisations to discuss implementation of the CRPD.

This year the Australian delegation is led by The Hon. Jane Prentice MP, Assistant Minister for Social Services and Disability Services.

The DPO Australia delegation includes representatives from each of the four member organisations and is working with other disability representative organisations in the Australian delegation. A pre-COSP Civil Society Forum on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was held on Monday 11 June. Civil society representatives from around the world discussed priorities before the main program begins on Tuesday.

The DPO Australia delegation will also be working closely with representatives from the Australian Government delegation, which includes representatives from the Department of Social Services (DSS), the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC).

The theme of this year’s COSP is “Leaving no one behind through the full implementation of the CRPD” and includes three subthemes:

  1. National fiscal space, public-private partnerships and international cooperation for strengthening the implementation of the CRPD
  2. Women and girls with disabilities
  3. Political participation and equal recognition before the law

The DPO Australia delegation will undertake significant work at COSP, including hosting and co-hosting side events; attending and participating in pre-arranged high-level meetings; speaking at a range of side events being hosted and co-hosted by Governments, international organisations and civil society; as well as networking and stakeholder engagement.

DPO Australia will be hosting a side event, LGBTI people with disability & implementation of the CRPD. This will be the first time that inclusion of LGBTI people with disability has been discussed at COSP. FPDN’s Paul Constable Calcott has created an artwork (pictured) telling a story of the experiences of LGBTI First Peoples with disability that will be shown at the side event.

Damian Griffis from First Peoples Disability Network will participate in a side-event on prisoners with disability and the criminal justice system. This side-event is hosted by Human Rights Watch.

Evelyn Collins from First Peoples Disability Network will participate in a side-event addressing intersections of gender and disability: voices of women with disabilities from the Global South. This side-event is hosted by the Disability Rights Fund (DRF) and Humanity and Inclusion (HI).

NSW Council for Intellectual Disability (NSW CID) is conducting a side-event, Include people with intellectual disability.  It is being led by people with intellectual disability.

The DPO Australia delegation includes:

  • Therese Sands, People with Disability Australia
  • Matthew Bowden, People with Disability Australia
  • Margherita Coppolino, President, National Ethnic Disability Alliance
  • Dwayne Cranfield, National Ethnic Disability Alliance
  • Sarah Houbolt, Women With Disabilities Australia
  • Damian Griffis, First Peoples Disability Network Australia
  • June Riemer, First Peoples Disability Network Australia
  • Paul Calcott, First Peoples Disability Network Australia
  • Evelyn Collins, First Peoples Disability Network Australia

CRPD Committee elections
The COSP will include the elections for nine new members of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. DPO Australia will be strongly supporting the election of our Australian candidate, Ms Rosemary Kayess.

For more information about Rosemary and the election process:

Further information about the COSP is available on the UN website.

The COSP will be webcast on UN Web TV.

DPO Australia acknowledges with appreciation the funding provided by the Department of Social Services to enable us to participate in this event.