18th Session Of The Conference Of States Parties To The CRPD (COSP18)

🎥 Watch all the sessions and events LIVE here.

The Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (COSP to the CRPD or COSP) established pursuant to article 40 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2008. Since then, seventeen sessions have been convened at the United Nations Headquarters, New York.

The 18th session of the COSP, per decided by States Parties at the 17th session of the Conference of States Parties on 13 June 2024, in line with the article 40 of the CRPD and Rules of the Procedure of the COSP (CRPD/CSP/2008/3) will be scheduled to take place at the United Nations Headquarters, New York, from 10 to 12 June 2025.

Informal Briefings to States Parties and Civil Society

In-person Informal Briefings will take place in Conference Room 11 at the UN Headquarters in New York on May 13, 2025, to States Parties from 3 to 4pm , and to Civil Society from 4 to 5pm ( New York Time).

The briefing will be co-hosted by the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA).

Bureau

President: Sri Lanka (Asia-Pacific Group)
Vice-Presidents: Poland (Eastern European Group), Peru (Latin American and Caribbean Group), Canada (Western European and Others Group), and Tanzania (African Group).

Themes and Subthemes

Overarching theme: Enhancing public awareness of the rights and contributions of persons with disabilities for social development leading up to the Second World Summit for Social Development

Sub-theme for Roundtable 1: Empowering persons with disabilities and enhancing social development policies through innovative financing.

Sub-theme for Roundtable 2: Leaving no one behind: using AI as a tool for supporting inclusivity to strengthen the participation of persons with disabilities.

Sub-theme for Roundtable 3: Recognising and addressing the rights of Indigenous persons with disabilities and their role in advancing disability inclusion.

Provisional agenda and Tentative programme

Provisional Agenda English | Français | Español | Русский | عربي | 汉语
Draft Program (as of 4 June 2025)
Easy Read version of the Draft Program

Provisional List of Speakers

Provisional Live List of Speakers (as of 10 June 2025)

Official Documentation

Background note for the Roundtable One "Empowering persons with disabilities and enhancing social development policies through innovative financing", CRPD/CSP/2025/2, English | Français | Español | Русский | عربي | 汉语
Background Note of the Roundtable Two "Leaving no one behind: using artificial intelligence as a tool for supporting inclusivity to strengthen the participation of persons with disabilities", CRPD/CSP/2025/3, English | Français | Español | Русский | عربي | 汉语
Background Note of the Roundtable Three "Recognizing and addressing the rights of Indigenous persons with disabilities and their role in advancing disability inclusion", CRPD/CSP/2025/4, English | Français | Español | Русский | عربي | 汉语

Decisions

Final Decisions by the Conference of States Parties (English)

General Debate and List of Speakers Registration

The General Debate will be organized and will begin on the first day of the conference namely 10 June 2025. All States Parties and Observer States that wish to be inscribed on the list of speakers are requested to inscribe through the e-Speakers module of the e-Delegate portal between 19 May (Monday) and 2 June (Monday). Further information will be announced in due course through the UN Journal and regional group representatives in the bureau.

Considering the time constraints, a national statement will be limited to three minutes for each speaker duly and in-timely inscribed to the list and the time-limit policy will be enforced effectively (i.e. cutting off the microphone). Individual reasonable accommodation will be granted for persons with disabilities, and in this regard, needs must be communicated directly to the Secretariat via emailing to enable@un.org as early as possible before 30 May 2025.

All States Parties and Signatories to the CRPD are requested to have their focal point in the delegation who has the access to the eDELEGATE services to inscribe their speaker through the e-Delegate/e-Speakers portal link.

United Nations entities, intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), national human rights institutions (NHRIs), and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are kindly asked to sign up here by providing their speaker details and all required information within the same timeframe, namely between 10am of 19 May and 6pm of 2 June 2025 ( New York Time).

Guidance Note on the General Debate

UN Guidelines for Pre-recorded vide statements. Please note that the deadline for delegations to upload their pre-recorded videos is 2 June 2025.

Ground Passes for Delegations of States Parties

Delegations shall obtain a valid United Nations grounds pass for all national delegation members whose names are reflected in their credentials that should be duly submitted to secretariat via eCREDENTIALS /e-DELEGATE portal for attending the official COSP18 meetings, in order to gain access to the United Nations headquarters.

Delegations shall be aware, when designating representatives and alternates to the forthcoming official COSP18 meetings, there is a seating capacity limitation for each delegation at a particular meeting, and specifically, each delegation will have 1+5 seats in the General Assembly Hall and 1+1 seats in the Conference Room 4 during the 18th session. No secondary passes will be issued for official national delegations.

Accessibility Requirements

The United Nations is committed to promoting accessibility and inclusion for persons with disabilities at its Headquarters and beyond. All necessary efforts and accommodations, such as seating adjustments, will be made to best meet the needs of participants with disabilities who have provided advance notice of their specific accessibility requirements.

All States Parties are kindly requested to notify the secretariat if their delegates have specific accessibility requirements via @email. no later than 1 May 2025, in order to ensure accessibility for all participants.

Please send the following details:

Specific accessibility needs such as wheelchair access, hearing loops usage, documentation in Braille, large print, or sign language usage
The name of the delegation and individual delegate especially when the delegate will expect speak on behalf of the delegation in a meeting.

Delegations are requested to also include specific accessibility needs details of their speaker, if applicable, when inscribing to the List of Speakers for the General Debate.

Practical Information for COSP18 Participants

UN Ground Passes (Not for Delegations and UN Agencies) ONLY for registered and approved ECOSOC and Accredited NGOs to COSP, National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs), CRPD Members and Panelists speaking at the conference: Please note the registration desk will be located at the UNITAR Building located at 801 1st Avenue and 45th Street, New York, NY 10017. The desk will be open during the following dates and times:
Monday 9 June 2025 | 8am to 1pm
Tuesday 10 June 2025 | 9am to 1pm
Wednesday 11 June 2025 | 9am to 1pm
Please be patient at the UNITAR office. There will be a long line of participants waiting, like you, to obtain a UN pass for the meeting and other major events taking place at the UN.
For NGOs registered and approved via Indico, please bring your PRINTED confirmation letter (which was sent to you by email via Indico) and a government-issued photo identification (passport, state-issued driver’s license, or similar documents) for the issuance of your UN Temporary Grounds Pass.
For National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs), CRPD Members and Panelists, please bring a government issued photo identification (passport, state-issued driver’s license, or similar documents) for the issuance of your UN Temporary Grounds Pass.
The Conference will be held in person at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 10 to 12 June 2025, taking place in the General Assembly Hall (GA Hall) and Conference Room 4 (CR.4). A Civil Society Forum will also be held on 9 June in Conference Room 4 (CR.4). For those following remotely, you can follow the conference live online at: https://webtv.un.org/en. The conference will also include interpretation in all six official UN languages, International Sign interpretation, and closed captioning.
In the general debate and roundtable discussions, speakers from the audience are required to send a copy of their intervention in MS WORD and PDF format via emailing to @email no later than 3 hours before the respective meeting but preferable earlier for accessibility.
The United Nations Accessibility Centre offers assistive information and communications technology to support those with auditory, visual or physical impairments. The assistive devices are available on-site or as a loan to participants with disabilities. The Accessibility Centre is located in the Conference Building (first basement level, by the Secretariat Building escalators). Please contact @email for enquiries regarding available assistive tools and other accessibility accommodations related requests. For more information, please visit https://www.un.org/dgacm/en/content/accessibility
The Meetings Support Section also offers print-on-demand service for meeting participants requiring braille copies of official documents. Please send braille requests to @email at least 24hrs in advance of the meeting date for processing. The printouts can be collected at the Accessibility Centre located on the first basement of the Secretariat building at Office number S-1B032. For further enquiries please contact +1 212 963 7348 / 9 or by email @email.

Download the Information Note for Participants

Accessibility Centre Maps

Seating Charts

General Assembly Hall 10 June, AM-PM
Conference Room 4, 11-12 June, AM-PM

Side Events

Draft List of Side Events - As of 19 May 2025

This is an opportunity for Member States, Intergovernmental Organizations, UN agencies, NGOs with ECOSOC status, and NGOs accredited to the COSP and stakeholders to contribute to meaningful discussions and showcase innovative initiatives related to overarching theme and sub-themes.

Please be aware that to ensure accessibility for all our events, you MUST include closed captions and make every effort to arrange for international sign language interpretation. However, due to the high number of events, securing sign language interpretation may not always be possible for your specific event.

National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) with "A" Status ONLY

National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) interested in attending the COSP18 must complete this online application form. The deadline is now CLOSED.

The online application is only open to NHRIs with "A" Status. If you have any questions, please contact us by email at socialngo@un.org with the subject "COSP18 NHRIs".

Civil Society Forum

The Civil Society Coordination Mechanism (CSCM), facilitated by the International Disability Alliance, is organizing the Civil Society Forum (CSF) ahead of the 18th session of the Conference of States Parties to the CRPD (COSP18).

Date/Location: Monday, 9 June 2025, Conference Room 4, UN Headquarters in New York.

The CSF serves as a participatory platform to amplify the voices of persons with disabilities and strengthen civil society engagement. Join us as we come together to strategize, share experiences, and push forward inclusive solutions!

Download the documents:

Civil Society Participation

Registration for NGOs with ECOSOC status and those accredited to the Conference of State Parties (COSP): NGOs can register via Indico for COSP18. Organizations are responsible for approving their registrations, and participants should contact their conference focal point for approval.

Conference Focal points can review pending registrations on the Indico platform.
Due to space constraints, organizations should limit attendance to 10 representatives.
Registration deadline has been extended to: 23 May 2025.

Application for New NGO accreditation. Please consult the Information Note, the deadline is now CLOSED.
Only NGOs accredited by the Conference of States Parties can participate in the sessions of the Conference of States Parties. NGOs that have consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) or were accredited to the Ad Hoc Committee on the Convention are already accredited to the Conference of States Parties.

All other NGOs wishing to participate in the Conference of States Parties must apply for accreditation to the Conference.
Accreditation is a one-time process by which non-governmental organizations that have not previously been accredited become eligible to participate as observers in the Conference of States Parties (including in future sessions). Accreditation is granted to organizations and not to individuals.
If your organization would like to attend this year's conference, we recommend that you register online in Indico by joining an existing ECOSOC or Accredited NGO. Next year, you can officially register using the name of your organization.
Final confirmation of formal accreditation will only be available after the first meeting of the 17th session of the Conference of States Parties on 10 June 2025 by 1 p.m.

Resources:

Spread the Word!

Follow us on Twitter @UN_Enable, @UNDESASocial, @UNDESA
Use #COSP18 as the main hashtag
Other hashtags: #COSP #GlobalGoals and #EveryoneIncluded
Planning a special event for #COSP18? We want to know! Tweet or email us at @email.