'If there was one disappointment from the entire experience it was accessibility at UN COSP.' - Padraig Hannafin

Padraig Hannafin is a disability activist. He is Rehab's Public Affairs and Research Administrator and Vice Chairperson of Cork Centre for Independent Living. He was part of the Irish delegation to the UN COSP 17 and this is a blog he has written for us on his experience of the event which took place from 11 - 13 June 2024 in New York: 

Between 11 and 13 June, I attended the UN Conference of State Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, COSP17 in New York. It included delegations from across the World who participated in daily General Assemblies and important side-events.

As we arrived outside the United Nations we were surrounded by the flags of each nation and we were reminded of the significance of our surroundings and what we were about to do. Its imposing building, and the tight security made the significance of the event very clear. The weight of responsibility wasn’t lost on me and it was a privilege to attend.

I joined Emer Begley from DFI, as part of a broader Irish delegation who included Colm Ó' Conaill and his colleagues from the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and Bernard O’Regan from the HSE. There were also academics from Trinity College and Maynooth University as well as Adam Harris from As I Am who participated in a side-event; and representatives from Irish Aid, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Pauline Tully who attended as representative from the Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters. Although it was disappointing and noted that Minister of State for Disability Anne Rabbitte could not attend.

On many levels this conference posed a significant opportunity.  To not only learn about different approaches to current issues across the world but also to horizon scan  to identify future concerns and opportunities. For me it was also an chance to put across our positions on the circumstances faced by persons with a disability in Ireland today.

This year's conference had a main theme of rethinking disability inclusion in the current international juncture. This was underpinned by three sub themes:

- International cooperation to promote technology innovations and transfer for an inclusive future.
-  Persons with disabilities in situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies.
- Promoting the rights of persons with disabilities to decent work and sustainable livelihood.

On Monday we attended the Civil Society Forum. This is a gathering of Disabled Persons' Organisations and Non Governmental Organisations where opinions, experiences, and manifestos are delivered within the context of the COSP's different themes.

I was honoured to be given the opportunity to speak at the Civil Society Forum on my first day at the UN. I spoke on promoting the rights of persons with disabilities to decent work and sustainable livelihood. It was a fortunate coincidence that before travelling to the UN in my day job in Rehab we had been preparing our Pre Budget Submission and I had a wealth of information from Rehab's service users experiences.

Those experiences, as well as my own and other disabled people fed into my input where I argued that disability employment needs to be more visible.

Tuesday was the official opening of the COSP conference. We moved into the main general assembly room. The grandeur of the venue was stark. A huge green table like an altar of sorts was the first thing you noticed on a stage. This was backed by a golden wall with a massive United Nations logo at its centre. There was an irony to its ostentatiousness given the nature of some of the topics that are addressed there by  world leaders.

While the individual country addresses made in the General Assembly were both eye opening and inspiring;  some of the best work was done in the numerous side events and in networking opportunities and discussions during breaks.

Disability Employment and AI

One side event which immediately caught my eye was Disability Employment and AI - perfect for future gazing and analysing the opportunities coming our way as well as naming the   safeguarding concerns . One saying I heard about AI that I think is truly apt and sums up the approach we need to take: 'A man will never run as fast as a horse but if we get on its back we can ride as fast'.

There are many concerns about the use of AI. An experiment using AI to manage pedestrian traffic for instance showed that it did not recognise as a person someone moving in a wheelchair.

Another key take away for me, is the importance of  accurate and up-to-date data across all areas of a disabled person’s life. If accurate data is unavailable, we run the risk of setting AI up to fail. We run the risk of perpetuating old negative stereotyping, negative bias, and exclusionary practices.

On Wednesday morning we attended a breakfast meeting hosted by the Irish Permanent representative to the UN. This event was attended by the entire Irish delegation. It was a significant opportunity to discuss not only events at the conference but also issues to do with people with disabilities back at home. The Ambassador later made the Irish address to the conference.

Over the course of the conference I began to understand the true scope and effect intersectionality can have on people with disabilities. The issues faced by people with disabilities are exacerbated by the difficulties they experience already if they are a woman, a person of colour, or LGBTQIA+.

Almost every address made, and at numerous side events the reality faced by so many people with disabilities in areas of conflict was made. The address made by the Ukrainian Minister via video link stressed that the number of people with disabilities has increased at a pace that is almost impossible for them to respond to. The war in Gaza was used by many countries in their addresses to stress the need for co-design in developing evacuation programmes or aid programmes that will adequately cater for people with disabilities. Co-design would see all relevant parties coming together to develop strategies before they were needed to cater for all. The most uttered phrase of the conference must have been "to ensure no one is left behind".

Co-design and accessible design were two strong pillars of the conference as a whole. It was made abundantly clear that the CRPD would not be delivered without full cooperation and hard work between State parties, civil society, disabled persons organisations etc. Accessible design is when it is ensured that disability is considered at all levels of design whether that is in infrastructure, services, or products. These are enticing concepts that I think need to be adopted more within the Irish context. 

What was very rewarding during the conference was our involvement with the European Disability Forum, EDF. Catherine Naughton, EDF’s Director met with the broader Irish Delegation. This meeting was hugely productive as we were able to discuss the experiences of DFI's member, while listening to the European context and how things can be done better. 

If there was one disappointment from the entire experience it was accessibility at UN COSP. I arrived expecting to experience the ideal, gold standard and a prime example of how to cater for all accessibility needs. Unfortunately that was not the case. While the building had an accessibility centre it was actually difficult to find. In the general assembly the allocation of wheelchair spaces was limited and haphazard. In one of the side events I witnessed pandemonium for sign interpreters trying to figure out where to stand. While a speaker from Disability Justice Australia spoke at his frustration trying to have his Personal Assistant access the room he was speaking in. COSP 18 must do better! 

Overall though this was an incredible experience. It was exciting and inspiring in equal measure to be surrounded by hundreds of people from all corners of the globe knowing I had something in common with each of them, the desire to deliver powerful change in the lives of people with disabilities. I would like to thank DFI for supporting my attendance and to thank Emer Begley for being a great support throughout the conference. 

Padraig Hannafin 

ENDS 

Padraig is pictured with Emer Begley of the Disability Federation of Ireland and Catherine Naughton, Director of the European Disability Forum at COSP17 in New York.