In consultation with civil society partners, the International Disability Alliance called for the Civil Society Forum, as an addition to the Summit, to leverage the opportunity to amplify the voice and participation of persons with disabilities.
- Read more about the Global Disability Summit
- Watch the events LIVE on 23 and 24th July
- Download the Program for the Civil Society Forum
- See the list of Speakers and Moderators
- Read the Interview with Speakers
- Read the Wrap up of the Civil Society Forum and Global Disability Summit
- Read Civil Society Statement at the Global Disability Summit
- Civil Society Forum: Opening and Session 1
- Civil Society Forum: Session 2
- Civil Society Forum: Session 3
- Civil Society Forum: Session 4 and Closing
The Forum is an opportunity to highlight current issues relevant to the global disability movement and realization of the CRPD, that will not specifically be addressed at the Summit. The intention is not to duplicate the points that will be made at the Summit, rather to provide additional space for Civil Society to makes its own contribution to the Summit. The Forum will also set the stage for the more specific dialogues at the Summit on the specific thematic areas.
The Forum will take place Monday, 23 July 2018, one day prior to the Global Disability Summit in the same venue. All attendees of the Summit are encouraged to attend the Forum as the discussions will influence the overall outcomes of the event.
The Civil Society Forum will ensure the participation of the most marginalized groups as well as priority will be given to featuring partnerships between different stakeholders. A key feature of the Summit will look at exploring intersectionality with other human rights movements.
The Civil Society Forum will strive to achieve the following objectives:
- To heighten attention to the importance of actively involving persons with disabilities, and their families through their representative organizations, in the development and implementation of legislation, policies and programmes to implement the CRPD, as well as in all decision-making processes that affect their lives and full participation and inclusion in society.
- To provide a platform for Civil Society to influence the outcomes of the Summit through a unified statement that will be read during the opening of the Summit on behalf of persons with disabilities and their representative organisations. The Statement will be heavily influenced by the proceedings at the Forum and online consultations in advance of the Forum.
- To provide an opportunity for people with disabilities, their representative organisations and other actors working in support of disability inclusion, to engage with each other and with other stakeholders who will attend the Summit, to develop new relationships, partnerships and Summit commitments.
- In line with the spirit of article 4 (3) of the CRPD, the organization of the Forum by IDA and the Civil Society Reference Group will seek to ensure the voices of persons with disabilities are raised and the panel composition duly include mainly representatives of organizations of persons with disabilities of all constituencies on the basis of parity, including those more marginalized such as, but not limited to, women with disabilities, persons with psychosocial disabilities, persons with intellectual disabilities, deaf-blind persons, etc.
The Forum will be used as an opportunity for Civil Society to share and capture what civil society sees as most important to inform the outcomes of the overall Summit. The discussions will also inform the Statement that will be read out by The International Disability Alliance, on behalf of Civil Society during the Opening of the Global Disability Summit day on 24 July.
Program for the Forum, 23 July
- 10:00–10:30 AM: Opening Session
- 10:30 to 11:45 AM - Plenary 1: Implementation of the CRPD: What Civil Society sees is needed to achieve full and effective implementation
- 11:45 to 12:15 PM – Break
- 12:15 to 1:30 PM - Plenary 2: The 2030 Agenda: Providing an impetus for implementation of the CRPD
- 1:30 to 2:45 PM - Lunch Break (a light lunch will be provided)
- 2:45 to 4:00 PM - Plenary 3: The key role of capacity building at national & grassroots levels to advance the realization of the rights of persons with disabilities
- 4:00 to 4:30 PM – Break
- 4:30 to 5:15 PM - Plenary 4: Looking Ahead After the Summit
- 5:15 to 5:45 PM - Closing Session
British Sign Language, International Sign and Captioning will be provided
Webcast live on: bit.ly/GlobalDisabilitySummit
We will be using the hashtags: #CSFSummit and #NowIsTheTime
