Welcome to Inclusion International's guide to COSP17!

COSP is one of our network's most important events for making our voices heard. COSP stands for Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD),

At COSP, government officials from countries that have signed the CRPD meet to talk about making things better for people with disabilities all over the world.

COSP gives our members a chance to share our big issues with governments and demand inclusion.

This year, it will be the 17th session of COSP. COSP17 will happen from June 10 - June 13 in 2024.

Keep Us Updated if You Attend COSP17!

Attending in person? Please feel free to reach out to Fayel (fayel@inclusion-international.org) if you are attending COSP in person.

Inclusion International members are organising during the conference via WhatsApp, and we would be happy to add you to our group. We would love to see you at our side-meetings or at the side-events!

COSP Themes

The official themes selected for this year's COSP are not easy-to-understand. We have explained each theme below using plain language.

Easy to Understand COSP Themes

Overarching theme: Think about how to better include and support people with disabilities, both now and in the future.

Sub-theme 1: How can countries work together on technology that makes things more inclusive in the future

Sub-theme 2: Making sure people with disabilities are not forgotten in emergencies.

Sub-theme 3: Helping people with disabilities get good jobs and support themselves.

For the full themes as they are originally explained, and more details, click the button below:

COSP at a Glance

During COSP, there are events for governments and events for other organisations to talk about inclusion. These will happen in-person and online.

Our network will engage in events across the week. Together we can make sure people with intellectual disabilities and their families are represented in the discussions. 

This is what will happen at COSP17:

Monday 10 June: Civil Society Forum

Tuesday 11 June: Opening of the Conference, General Debate, Election of the CRPD Committee Members, and side-events

Wednesday 12 June: Roundtable discussions 1 + 2 and side-events

Thursday 13 June: Roundtable 3, Interactive Dialogue, Closing of the Conference and side-events

What do these terms mean?:

• Civil Society Forum -  groups that are not part of the government come together to discuss issues about the rights of people with disabilities before the main COSP events.
   
• General Debate - different governments and groups share ideas on improving the rights and lives of people with disabilities.
   
• Side-events - smaller meetings that happen alongside the main conference. It’s an opportunity for different groups to talk about specific topics and share ideas.
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• Roundtable Discussions - when governments come together to hear speakers talk about a topic.
   
• Interactive Dialogue - UN Representatives will speak with governments about the process of making the CRPD a reality.

Did you know? You can follow the conference online at:  http://webtv.un.org/

Election of the CRPD Committee Members

Countries that have agreed to the CRPD choose experts to be on the CRPD Committee.

Countries vote every two years to select new members, who serve for four years. Half of the committee is elected each time to keep things running smoothly.

This year is an election year. Nine members of the CRPD Committee will be elected at COSP17

Unfortunately, there are no self-advocates among the list of nominees this year.

We hope for future elections that self-advocates will be a part of the committee.

Easy-to-Understand Material

Organisations have worked to make certain materials about COSP available in Easy-to-Understand and Easy Read formats this year. In order to share these resources in one location, please find their links below.

COSP Calendar

Our network is heavily involved at side-events at COSP. We also attend the general debate, roundtables, and interactive dialogue.

Watch the general debate, roundtables, and interactive dialogue live on:

Monday 10 June 2024

Tuesday 11 June 2024

Wednesday 12 June 2024

Thursday 13 June 2024