Welcome to the United Nations
The event that took place on June 12, 2024, at Conference Room 12 in the United Nations Headquarters in New York was organized by Finland and the Abilis Foundation, in collaboration with Poland, Mexico, Ukraine, and the United States. The event aimed to discuss how the international community can enhance the implementation of UNSC Resolution 2475 and highlighted the lessons learned since the resolution was adopted.
In 2019, the UN Security Council adopted a landmark resolution 2475 on the protection of persons with disabilities in situations of armed conflict, emphasizing the need to provide accessible assistance to persons with disabilities affected by armed conflict and urging Member States to enable the participation of persons with disabilities in all phases of conflict resolution, from prevention to peacebuilding.
There are more than one hundred armed conflicts ongoing in the world. These conflicts place a disproportionate impact on persons with disabilities, who face abandonment, violence – including conflict-related sexual violence – and exacerbated barriers to access basic services. While persons with disabilities are often in the most vulnerable position in conflicts, they should also be seen as actors who contribute to building peace.
The panel discussion was moderated by Ms. Amu Urhonen from Abilis Foundation. The panelist were Ms. Kirstin Lange, Programme Specialist on Disability Inclusive Humanitarian Action of UNICEF, Ms. Mariia Kurinna, Human Rights Researcher and Defender and International Advocacy Manager in Fight For Right from Ukraine, H.E. Archie Young, UK Ambassador to the General Assembly, and Mr. Nawaf Kabbara, President of International Disability Alliance.
In addition, the following representatives gave their remarks: H.E. Pekka Puustinen, Under-Secretary of State of Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland; H.E. Łukasz Krasoń, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy and Government Plenipotentiary for Persons with Disabilities of Poland; Ms. Sara Minkara, United States Special Advisor on International Disability Rights; Ms. Mina Mojtahedi, Team Lead of the UN Disability Inclusion Team; H.E. Alicia Buenrostro, Mexico’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN.
For more information about the conference, please visit: https://social.desa.un.org/issues/disability/cosp/17th-session-of-the-conference-of-states-parties-to-the-crpd-cosp17
Source: Permanent Mission of Finland