DPO Australia is participating in the 12th Session of the Conference of States Parties (COSP) to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). COSP runs from 11th to 13th June 2019 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.
The theme of this year’s COSP is awareness-raising and “Ensuring the inclusion of persons with disabilities in a changing world through the implementation of the CRPD”, with three subthemes:
- Technology, digitalization and ICTs for the empowerment and inclusion of persons with disabilities
- Social inclusion and the right of the highest attainable standard of health
- Inclusion of persons with disabilities in society through participation in cultural life, recreation, leisure and sports
Easy Read information about COSP is available here.
Our Delegation
The DPO Australia delegation includes:
- Therese Sands, People with Disability Australia
- Paige Burton, People with Disability Australia
- Matthew Bowden, People with Disability Australia
- June Riemer, First Peoples Disability Network
- Sereako Treloggan, First Peoples Disability Network
- Heidi La Paglia, Women With Disabilities Australia
- Sarah Houbolt, Women With Disabilities Australia
The DPO Australia delegation will be working with representatives from other disability representative organisations, including:
- Alanna Julian, NSW Council for Intellectual Disability
- Courtney Bellmore, NSW Council for Intellectual Disability
- Kylee Roberts, NSW Council for Intellectual Disability
- Trevor Carroll, Australian Federation of Disability Organisations
- Liz Reid, Australian Federation of Disability Organisations
- Sam Drummond, Australian Federation of Disability Organisations
- Monique Blackmore, Australian Federation of Disability Organisations
- Emma Phillips, Queensland Advocacy Incorporated
- Kathryn Lyons, Queensland Advocacy Incorporated
- Sue Salthouse, Rights and Inclusion Australia
- Santiago Velasquez Hurtado, Vision Australia
- Gail Mulcair, Speech Pathology Australia
- Sharynne McLeod, Speech Pathology Australia
The DPO Australia delegation will also be working closely with representatives from the Australian Government. Representatives from the Department of Social Services (DSS), the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) make up the Australian Government delegation.
Our work at COSP
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.
On the 10th of June, the day before the COSP, there will be a Civil Society Forum where DPOs and civil society organisations participating in COSP participate in discussions in preparation for the main program. For more information visit International Disability Alliance.
Key DPO Australia activities
DPO Australia will be hosting a side event, Inclusion of Indigenous persons with disability in society through participation in cultural life.
This side-event will explore how CRPD obligations apply to the specific situation of Indigenous peoples with disability & how these obligations are reinforced by the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Persons. The event will feature the views of Indigenous people with disability & human rights experts on the challenges, positive examples, & obligations in relation to implementation of the CRPD. It will include June Riemer and Sereako Treloggen (First Peoples Disability Network).
The official flyer can be downloaded in PDF and DOC.
Our colleagues at NSW Council for Intellectual Disability (NSW CID) are conducting a side-event, ‘Just include me: making social inclusion and good health a reality for all of us’. It is being conducted by people with intellectual disability and features Alanna Julian and advocates from Canada and Moldova. More information is available on NSW CID website.
The DPO Australia delegation look forward to working with our civil society colleagues and Government representatives to further the rights of all people with disability. DPO Australia acknowledges with appreciation the funding support provided by the Department of Social Services through the Australian Human Rights Commission. We acknowledge the Australian Government as co-sponsor of our side-event.
Further information about the COSP is available on the UN website. Easy Read information about COSP is available here.
The COSP will be webcast on UN Web TV.