Minister Higgins delivers Ireland’s National Statement at the Conference of State Parties for the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Minister of State for Disability, Emer Higgins, delivered Ireland’s National Statement at the Conference of State Parties for the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in UN headquarters today.

Speaking on her attendance at the Conference, Minister Higgins said:

Throughout the Conference, Minister Higgins will meet with counterparts from a range of jurisdictions to discuss opportunities for mutual learning which advance a rights‑based, person‑centred approach to disability.

The Conference of State Parties is attended annually by delegates from the countries which have ratified the UNCRPD, in recognition of the rights it articulates for disabled people. The Conference represents a significant opportunity for State Parties to the Convention, and civil society organisations, to gather and share progress as well as challenges.

This is the 19th annual Conference of State Parties for the UNCRPD and it will take place in New York from 9 to 11 June 2026. The Minister is also joined by representatives from the National Disability Authority as well as and disability civil society.

On Tuesday 9th June, Ireland will host an event on the protection of persons with disabilities in conflict. On Thursday June 11th, Ireland will host an event, co-sponsored by WHO, on the on the transformative role assistive technology can play in supporting Disabled people to live independent and fulfilling lives.

ENDS

19th Session of the UNCRPD Conference of State Parties

• The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is a human rights treaty adopted by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in 2006. Member States who have signed the Convention undertake to respect, protect and fulfil the rights of persons with disabilities as defined in the treaty.
• Article 40 of the CRPD calls on State Parties to the CPRD to meet regularly in a Conference of State Parties (COSP) to consider any matter with regard to the implementation of the Convention. Since 2008, the COSP has been held annually at the UN Headquarters in New York, covering a range of themes and issues in roundtables, interactive dialogues and side-events. Ministers and officials from Governments across the world gather to exchange views and lessons learnt on how to advance the implementation of the CRPD.
• COSP will convene for its 19th Session from 9-11 June 2025. The theme of this year’s COSP is “CRPD at 20: celebrating and consolidating achievements and shaping the next phase of implementation in a changing world”.

National Disability Strategy

• The National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People (2025-2030) will run until 2030 operates as a framework for the coordination and delivery of disability policy across government, ensuring a whole-of-government approach to the advancement of the UNCRPD and collaboration on cross-cutting issues.

Assistive Technology

• In April 2026, Ireland launched the Assistive Technology Capacity Assessment Report for Ireland.
• Assistive technology is an umbrella term for assistive products and their related systems and services. Assistive products help maintain or improve an individual’s functioning related to cognition, communication, hearing, mobility, self-care and vision, thus enabling their health, well-being, inclusion and participation.
• Globally, more than 2.5 billion people need one or more assistive products, relying on them to live independently, stay connected, and participate fully in daily life. The WHO and UNICEF Global Report on Assistive Technology (GReAT), launched in 2022, highlights that this number is expected to grow to 3.5 billion by 2050. This rise reflects longer lives and increasing rates of noncommunicable diseases.
• In March 2024, the Irish Government entered into a €12.524m donor agreement (split evenly over a period of five years) with the WHO to strengthen equitable access to assistive technology globally, with a focus on innovation in people-centred, rights-based service delivery models and harnessing the potential of digital assistive technology (DAT).
• In addition, the Department of Children, Disability and Equality is progressing a Project Collaboration Agreement with the WHO which is focused on domestic objectives. The independent Assistive Technology Capacity Review being published today is a key deliverable of this agreement.