COSP19

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is a legally binding human rights treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2006. Pursuant to Article 40, StatesParties meet regularly at a Conference of States Parties (COSP) to consider any matters related to the implementation of the Convention.

The 19th Session of COSP took place at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 9 to 11 June 2026, covering a diversity of themes through a general debate, three roundtables, an interactive dialogue, and over 90 side events. IDA’s delegation was led by its president, Dr Nawaf Kabbara, and vice-presidents Dr Sanja Tarczay and Mr Juan Angel de Gouveia.

The overarching theme of COSP19 was CRPDat 20: celebrating and consolidating achievements and shaping the next phase of implementation in a changing world. The conference subthemes covered:

Creating a world free from exploitation, violence and abuse for all persons with disabilities.

Strengthening care and support systems to ensure the empowerment, autonomy and independence of all persons with disabilities.

Enhancing accessible civic engagement, leadership and advocacy in political and public life.

Throughout the preparatory process, IDA worked closely with the COSP19 Bureau (Sri Lanka, Poland, Canada, Tanzania, and Peru) and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs to deliver the perspectives and inputs of civil society and ensure the meaningful engagement of persons with disabilities in the conference.

IDA also held meetings of the COSP19 Civil Society Coordination Mechanism to nominate civil society panellists and speakers in the opening session, three roundtables, interactive dialogues and the closing.

The day prior to the conference, IDA and the Civil Society Coordination Mechanism, organised the annual COSP Civil Society Forum as a full-day event. For the third year in a row, the Civil Society Forum took place in a town hall format, enabling over 94 civil society representatives to present their initiatives, ideas and concerns related to the COSP theme and subthemes. The Civil Society Forum also addressed gains, gaps, and the future of a reforming UN.

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The formal programme of the conference kicked off on 9 June with opening remarks, including those of the United Nations Secretary-General. 41 civil society representatives, including IDA and its members, delivered statements in the COSP19 General Debate. Civil society also intervened across the three roundtables corresponding to the COSP19 subthemes.

During the week, IDA spoke at and co-sponsored 39 side events. Some of the events that IDA organised included the following:

· Care, Knowledge and Rights: Advancing the Leadership of Indigenous Persons with Disabilities

· Peer-to-Peer Support forStrengthening National Organizations of Persons with Disabilities

· Shaping the Future ofDisability Inclusion: From CRPD at 20 to the Global Disability Summit 2028

· Citizen Data on ResidentialInstitutionalization for Persons with Disabilities

· From Youth Representation toMeaningful Participation in Political and Public Life

· Access to Justice: Ensuring a Disability-Inclusive Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Humanity

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In the margins of the conference, IDA's president, vice-presidents, and executive director engaged in high-level bilateral meetings with states parties and UN senior officials, reaffirming and building on the close partnerships between governments, UN entities, and organisations of persons with disabilities.

This year, the conference elected nine members to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It concluded on 11 June with the adoption of three decisions, including one to hold the Twentieth Session of the Conference (COSP20) at UN Headquarters in New York from 9 to 11 June 2027.

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