Minister for Children and the Elderly Maria Larsson will travel to New York today to chair the fourth session of the Conference of States Parties to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Swedish delegation consists of representatives of the Riksdag, government ministries and agencies and disability interest groups.

Maria Larsson to chair UN Conference of States Parties


Minister for Children and the Elderly Maria Larsson will travel to New York today to chair the fourth session of the Conference of States Parties to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Swedish delegation consists of representatives of the Riksdag, government ministries and agencies and disability interest groups.



Sweden was one of the driving forces at the inception of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and high hopes are being pinned on Sweden in future work.



"We want to be at the vanguard of global developments to ensure that people with disabilities are afforded equal rights. It is important that as many countries as possible ratify the Convention and that the rights contained in it also have an impact in those countries," says Ms Larsson.



Sweden, which is a world leader in assistive technology, wants to inspire other countries and contribute its experiences.



Sweden is also organising two seminars during the Conference of States Parties:

- The Swedish Institute of Assistive Technology on the theme of rights and welfare for older people with disabilities in which welfare technology plays an important role;

- The Swedish Agency for Disability Policy Coordination on the theme of increased knowledge and changing attitudes to people with disabilities on the labour market.