On June 10-12, Irine Chikhladze, Deputy Public Defender of Georgia, participated in the 18^th Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which was held at the UN Headquarters in New York.

The main theme of the conference was “Enhancing public awareness of the rights and contributions of persons with disabilities for social development”.

In a roundtable format, representatives of UN institutions, as well as governments and civil society organizations of the States Parties, discussed ways of empowering persons with disabilities and enhancing social development policies through innovative financing; “Leaving no one behind”: using AI as a tool for supporting inclusivity to strengthen the participation of persons with disabilities; recognising and addressing the rights of indigenous persons with disabilities and their role in advancing disability inclusion.

In parallel with the conference, other events were also held on the rights of persons with disabilities, which discussed issues of access to justice, amendments to national legislation considering Article 13 of the CRPD, and innovative inclusive communications; importance of accessibility, equal reproductive rights for women with disabilities, and the harmful effects of climate change on mental health.

The participants in the meetings agreed to cooperate in developing a unified approach to the implementation of the UNCRPD.