Leprosy and the 3rd COSP16 Roundtable: Reaching the under-represented groups of persons with disabilities
Every year the UN's CRPD Conference has three sub-themes and each has its own roundtable. In 2023, the third sub-theme was 'Reaching the under-represented groups of persons with disabilities' and Ana Ivonia from The Leprosy Mission Timor-Leste was the Roundtable Co-Chair.
When was the roundtable?
The Roundtable took place on Thursday 15 June at the UN's Headquarters in New York. The CRPD's 16th Conference of State Parties took place from 13-15 June.
What did Ivonia say at the roundtable?
As well as her official duties as co-chair (introducing the panellists), Ivonia gave a five minute statement at the end of the roundtable. You can watch that statement on the UNTV Website and below. You can also read Ivonia's statement here.
Why was Ivonia an ideal candidate for this Roundtable?
This Roundtable talked about reaching the under-represented groups of persons with disabilities. The briefing note lists women and girls with disabilities and children with disabilities. Ivonia was diagnosed as with leprosy when she was a girl, so is well-placed on that front.
Moving beyond what is included in the briefing note, Ivonia is a young person, she is from a small and new nation, she is a person affected by leprosy, she is a person affected by a neglected tropical disease, she lives in a place that has limited internet access, and she is a person who speaks a non-UN language. In all of these respects she represents people who are under-represented groups of persons with disability.