Commonwealth Parliamentarians highlight youth disability inclusion at UN Conference
Parliamentarians from across the Commonwealth gathered in New York, USA for the 18th Session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (COSP18). The Conference took place from 10 to 12 June 2025 at the United Nations Headquarters.
As part of the Conference, Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities (CPwD) network coordinator Avni Kondhia participated in a roundtable hosted by the Commonwealth Children and Youth Disability Network (CCYDN).
The roundtable side event called for a commitment to establish inclusive accessible spaces for children and youth with disabilities, and to promote their meaningful political participation on matters impacting them in decision making processes.
During the side event, the CPwD Coordinator focussed particularly on Youth Parliaments as a tool for effective inclusion and policy participation, with a focus on the examples of previous Commonwealth Youth Parliaments and the CPA Youth Parliament toolkit developed in partnership with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Establishing Youth Select Committees or Advisory Committees were also highlighted as best practices across Commonwealth Parliaments.
Other roundtable participants included representatives from the Commonwealth Children and Youth Disability Network, Global Network of Young Persons with Disabilities, Minority Rights International, National Indigenous Disabled Women Association Nepal, Commonwealth Youth Council, Commonwealth Secretariat and Include Me TOO.
The UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) also held an event on ‘The Future of Financial Inclusion: Transforming global financing and the finance sector from the inside out’ where the UK Minister for Equalities, Hon. Seema Malhotra, MP, spoke about financial inclusion policies.
To mark International Day of Parliamentarism (World Parliament Day) 2025, the Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities (CPwD) network will be holding a webinar on 30 June 2025 at 10:00 UTC+1 on ‘The Role of Parliamentarians in upholding the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities ’. Find out more and register to attend the online webinar here.
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The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) is an international community of 180 Parliaments at national, state, provincial and territorial level working together to deepen the Commonwealth’s commitment to the highest standards of democratic governance.
The Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities (CPwD) network was founded in 2017 to support elected representatives with disabilities in Parliaments and Legislatures across the Commonwealth and to ensure that issues of persons with disabilities are brought to the fore in parliamentary debate and legislation. The CPwD network encourages all Parliamentarians to include a perspective mindful of disabilities in all aspects of their role - legislation, oversight and representation - and helps Parliaments to become institutions that are sensitive to issues surrounding disabilities.
