Getting ready for the upcoming 2024 CRPD Committee elections at COSP 17!

The 17th Conference of States Parties to the CRPD will be held on 11-13 June 2024 during which the elections will take place for nine of the eighteen seats of the CRPD Committee, with the mandate from 2025 to 2028.

The electoral process and the need for OPD engagement starting at the national level

The steps of the process are the following:

• Early December 2023, the CRPD Committee Secretariat will send a note verbale to State Parties to the UNCRPD to request nominations of candidates to the CRPD Committee
• 11 April 2024 is the deadline for nominations by States Parties.
• 11 to 13 June 2024: Elections at the 17th Conference of States Parties to the CRPD.

The International Disability Alliance strongly promotes the engagement of national organizations of persons with disabilities throughout the stages of the process advocating for:

• consultation with OPDs in line with Articles 4(3) and 34(3) of the CRPD;
• open and transparent nomination process at the national level,
• and for States to prioritize the qualifications of candidates and other relevant CRPD criteria when voting among the pool of candidates.

You can consult IDA guidance notes towards 2024 CRPD Committee elections, for more detailed information.

(Word and PDF)

Previous experiences have shown that the outcome of the election process in New York is strongly connected to the efforts made by permanent missions to the UN in seeking support for their candidate from other States -often in exchange for reciprocal support related to other UN election processes. Unfortunately, the quality and qualifications of the nominees are not always the leading criterion for States Parties in making a decision about whom to vote.

That is why organizations of persons with disabilities should undertake concerted advocacy efforts at the national level to influence the nomination process of candidates.

CRPD Committee’s membership: gaps in representation to consider towards the 2024 CRPD Committee elections

Members whose mandates expire at the end of 2024:

• Ms Rosa Idalia ALDANA SALGUERO (Guatemala)*
• Mr Abdelmajid MAKNI (Morocco)*
• Ms Gerel DONDOVDORJ (Mongolia)*
• Ms Vivian FERNÁNDEZ DE TORRIJOS (Panamá)*
• Ms Odelia FITOUSSI (Israel)*
• Mr Samuel Njuguna KABUE (2024)
• Mr Robert George MARTIN (New Zealand)
• Mr Floyd MORRIS (Jamaica)*
• Ms Saowalak THONGKUAY (Thailand)*

* Members who have served one term and are eligible for re-election according to Article 34(7) of the CRPD.

Article 34 CRPD provides that: “4. The members of the Committee shall be elected by States Parties, consideration being given to equitable geographical distribution, representation of the different forms of civilization and of the principal legal systems, balanced gender representation and participation of experts with disabilities.”

To fulfill such criteria, the following needs to be stressed:

• In order to retain gender balance, States need to seek the election of at least 3 women.
• While there is no fixed rule indicating the number of members for each region,[1] State Parties would need to seek the election of one or two candidates from Eastern Europe given that there is none currently.
• The is a strong need to promote candidates from disabilities constituencies distinct from blind persons and persons with physical disabilities, to seek for diversity of persons with disabilities.