- Back to 12th Session of the Conference of States Parties to the UN CRPD
- Children with Disabilities - Civil Society Position following the Civil Society Forum (Word version)
10 June 2019 | Conf. Room 4, United Nations Headquarters, New York
The Civil Society Coordination Mechanism, facilitated by the International Disability Alliance will host a Civil Society Forum, as an addition to the 12th Session of the CoSP to the CRPD, to leverage the opportunity to amplify the voice and facilitate the adequate and active participation of persons with disabilities.
The Civil Society Forum will be held on 10 June, from 10am to 6pm, in Conference Room 4 at the UN headquarters in New York.
Note for NGOs: If you have successfully registered for the 12th Session of the COSP (11-13 June), you will automatically receive a pass for 10 June when you pick up your pass. Information on pass pick-up will be shared by the United Nations Secretariat, Department for Social Affairs soon.
On this page:
- Background
- The Civil Society Coordination Mechanism
- Aims of the Forum
- Participants
- Program
- Supporting Documentation
Background
The Civil Society Forum will be an opportunity to highlight current issues relevant to the disability movement and realization of the CRPD, that will not specifically be addressed during the 12th CoSP session. The intention is to provide additional space for civil society to make its own contributions, and will be used as an opportunity for Civil Society to share and capture what civil society sees as some current standing issues. The Forum will take place Monday, 10 June 2019, one day prior to the start of the 12th Session of the CoSP. The Civil Society Forum will have the participation of the most marginalized groups. Along with this, priority will be given to featuring partnerships between different stakeholders.
Civil Society Coordination Mechanism
In 2016, through the leadership of the International Disability Alliance, civil society established a coordination mechanism to promote the active participation and meaningful engagement of persons with disabilities in the Conference of States Parties to the CRPD through a unified voice. The Civil Society Coordination Mechanism (CSCM) is a self-organized, voluntary group of persons with disabilities, their representative organizations, non-governmental organizations and other relevant civil society stakeholders who share a commitment to ensuring the implementation of CRPD Article 4.3 and 33.3 in the COSP.
Aims of the Civil Society Forum
The Civil Society Forum being held under the auspice of the 12th CoSP to the CRPD will aim to:
1. Share the experiences and perspectives of organisations of persons with disabilities on the implementation of the CRPD;
- Highlight and draw attention to some of the current standing issues within the implementation of the rights of persons with disabilities, such as situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies, and climate change, and particularly those that will not be covered during the 12th Session of the CoSP;
- Report on the recent progress on the CRPD implementation and the 2030 Agenda, such as the Global Disability Summit, UN Reform, introduction of the rights of persons with disabilities within the work of the Security Council Aria.
2. Highlight what kind of capacity is needed among the activists, as well as their partners, to implement the CRPD and 2030 Agenda:
- Identify the current successful methods of capacity building, and capture ways to build capacities of all relevant stakeholders to strengthen the empowerment of the rights of persons with disabilities.
- Discuss where and for whom capacity is absent
- Discuss how advocacy is changing in nature and what kind of capacity is needed to deliver on new forms of advocacy, e.g. more attention to be paid towards delivery of technical assistance, as is increasingly being requested.
The afternoon session will focus on an interactive dialogue on “Protecting the rights of children with disabilities to live with their family”, through deinstitutionalization and inclusive education, and access to health and adequate medical services.
Background on this theme
SDG 4 (ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all) will be under review for this year’s High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), therefore it will be crucial to collect technical input from the participants of the CoSP 12 to better frame the debate during the HLPF in July 2019. In addition, in 2019, there will be resolutions in the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly to address deinstitutionalization and inclusive education (third committee resolution on institutional care and the rights of children without parental care). As such, it will be crucial to hold a debate on this theme at the expert-level in order to properly frame the language of the resolutions. In addition, the forum will open a discussion on access to health and medical services by skilled, qualified staff for children with disabilities.
Participants at the Civil Society Forum
All attendees of the CoSP are encouraged to attend the Forum. The Civil Society Forum is open to ECOSOC status members and to those accredited to the Conference of States Parties.
- 10.00 – 10.30: Opening
- 10.30 – 11.45: Where do we stand and what is the current state of play? Sharing the experience of organisations of persons with disabilities on the implementation of the CRPD
- 11.45 – 1.00: Capacity Building. What kind of capacity is needed among the activists, as well as their partners, to implement the CRPD & 2030 Agenda
- 1.00 – 3.00: Lunch
- 3.00 – 4.30 pm: Interactive Dialogue: Protecting the rights of children with disabilities to live with their family, through deinstitutionalization inclusive education, and access to health and adequate medical services. Read the background on this session.
- 4.30 – 5.00: Break
- 5.00 – 5.30pm: Closing session
