Mr. Javed Abidi, a globally known disability rights activist passed away on 4 March 2018 in his hometown New Delhi. He was 53. Mr. Abidi was the Director of the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) and also the Global Chair of Disabled People International (DPI), the first global international organization of persons with disabilities with an ECOSOC consultative status to the United Nations.

In a high-level luncheon at the United Nations in New York, more than 40 guests representing COPAC member organizations, Member States, UN agencies and cooperatives met to discuss the ways in which cooperatives eradicate poverty and what governments and the international community can do to help them flourish.

COPAC co-hosted the event with the Permanent Mission of Mongolia, which has steadfastly promoted cooperatives as an essential voice in the sustainable development conversation.

The theme for the 2018 International Day of Cooperatives (IDC) is "Sustainable consumption and production", creating an opportunity for cooperatives to show how they run successful businesses while respecting our natural environment and the resources it offers.

The 56th session of the Commission for Social Development (CSocD56) held a High-level Panel Discussion on “Towards inclusive, resilient and sustainable development: an evidence-based approach to the mainstreaming of disability in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Agenda 2030” under sub-item 3(b) during its 56th session. The following panelists discussed evidence-based approach to the disability-inclusive implementation of the 2030 Agenda: H.E Ms. Zhang Haidi, Chairperson, China Disabled Persons’ Federation; Ms.

The UNPFII Forum members have decided on changes to the two-week annual session.  The first week will be all open plenary meetings. There will be no closed meetings during the first week. A condensed schedule during the first week will see the Permanent Forum discuss all substantive agenda items.