Colin Allen, WFD President gives a video summary of the last session of 6th Conference of State Parties (COSP) meeting.

Three official WFD representative delegates, WFD President, Colin Allen, WFD Vice President, Wilma Newhoudt-Druchen, and WFD Liaison Officer, Peggy Prosser, were present at the COSP meetings for three days. Also joining the WFD team was WFD Youth Section board member, Braam Jordaan. And in addition to our WFD delegation, Markku Jokinen, our WFD Honorary President participated in the COSP as an official representative delegate with the Finnish government.

The final meeting was an interactive dialogue relating to the United Nations (UN) system. Major UN agencies presented their developments with the CRPD and the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) to government representatives and other official delegates in the room. And in closing, preparations for the High Level Meeting on Development and Disability (HLMDD) on 23 September were outlined. High-level government officials and representatives will attend this meeting. Our WFD president, Colin Allen will also participate as Second Vice Chair of the International Disability Alliance. The HLMDD will focus on the CPRD and the inclusion of people with disabilities in development. Deaf people and national organisations of the Deaf should lobby their governments for their issues and rights to be highlighted within this HLMDD.

An expression of concern from WFD President, Colin, was that only one deaf government representative, Markku Jokinen from Finland, took part in this 6th COSP meeting. Colin wishes to see more deaf government representatives participating in meetings by UN and he hopes that there will be other deaf government representatives at the HLMDD to support the work of the disability movement this September.