Opening of 13th Session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (COSP13)

Achieving a world where all people have equal access to opportunities is a goal worth fighting for, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday in a speech calling for greater inclusion of persons with disabilities in society, including in COVID-19 response and recovery.

“Realizing the rights of persons with disabilities is crucial to fulfilling the core promise of the 2030 Agenda: to leave no one behind,” he said, referring to the global action plan to bring about a more just and sustainable world.

“In all our actions, our goal is clear: a world in which all persons can enjoy equal opportunities, participate in decision-making and truly benefit from economic, social, political and cultural life. That is a goal worth fighting for.”

The 13th session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention (COSP13) is taking place ahead of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, commemorated annually on 3 December.

Like most UN events this year, it is being held in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, with participants meeting both in person and online.

The pandemic has deepened pre-existing inequalities affecting the world’s one billion persons with disabilities, the Secretary-General said. Even under normal circumstances they were already less likely to access education, healthcare and jobs, or to be included in their communities.

The Chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities echoed this assessment. Danlami Umaru Basharu was concerned that structural barriers, exclusion and discrimination have worsened during the crisis.

“While I celebrate that there are now 182 parties to the Convention, the pandemic has made evident that there is still a long way to go in fully understanding the human rights model of disability enshrined in the Convention, and therefore in fully implementing its provisions,” he said in a video message.

Luis Gallegos, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility of Ecuador, was President of the Conference.

Other speakers include:
- Volkan Bozkir, President of the General Assembly,
- Gerald Quinn, UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,
- Maria Soledad Cisternas, Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Disability and Accessibility
- Idriss Alzouma Maiga, Civil Society representative.

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