CBM Global at COSP18

News | June 24, 2025

CBM Global was present at the 18th Session of The Conference of States Parties to the CRPD (COSP18), which took place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 10 to 12 June 2025.

Our Federation was represented by Kirsty Smith, CEO of CBM UK, Elizabeth Morgan, acting head of Inclusion Advisory Group in CBM Australia, and Elizabeth Lockwood, our Representative at the UN.

We highlighted key advocacy messages in our interventions and meetings:

• We are focusing on addressing intersectional discrimination and supporting OPDs in strengthening data collection, analysis, and use.
• We are supporting innovative financing, especially for OPDs to be integral partners and leaders in this process.
• We are working intentionally with diverse and underrepresented groups of persons with disabilities and their representative organisations.

We were quite active throughout the week:

• Kirsty presented CBM Global’s General Debate (1:46 mark) and moderated Session 1 of the Civil Society Forum on the Impact of anti-diversity political narratives and the Global Financial Situation on the work of the disability community.
• We connected and collaborated with our OPD partners, International Disability Alliance, Pacific Disability Forum, Transforming Communities for Inclusion, and World Federation of the Deaf. We had meetings with Australia, Finland, and the UK, as well as the World Bank, Disability Rights Fund, DGACM, IDDC, and more.

We presented in four events:

• Hosted by Fordham University: Monitor the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at the Local Level: Evidence from Diverse Data. Elizabeth presented on citizen data alongside our partner from the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) on the WFD-led research we funded in Bolivia on deaf Indigenous women.
• Hosted by Permanent Mission of the Republic of Malta to the UN: Legislation as a driver for change – a disruptive approach to the CRPD’s Article 13. Elizabeth presented on access to justice in the context of the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs and post-2030 processes.
• Hosted by Government of Kenya: Accelerating Change: Evaluating the Impact of Global Disability Summit Commitments on Advancing CRPD Implementation in the Global South. Elizabeth presented on disability data and our OPD partner Laisa Vereti presented from Pacific Disability Forum.
• Hosted by National Council on Disability Affairs in the Philippines: Innovation Financing on Care Economy, Social Protection, and Participation of Persons with Disabilities in the Formal Economy. Kirsty presented highlighting CBM Global’s work in the Philippines, including the OPD-led citizen-generated data project. This event was supported by CBM Global in the Philippines and also included a presentation from Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Some concluding messages:

• True inclusion means that all of us in all our diversities are welcome.
• We must ensure all voices and representation are in the disability movement and are included in the broader disability work.

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