Don’t miss the Women Deliver 2023 Conference!
By Estefanía Cubillos Nova
Este artículo está disponible en español aquí.
Did you know that the Women Deliver 2023 conference will be held from July 17 to July 20, 2023? I found out recently while talking to a friend on WhatsApp. Our colleagues at Women Enabled International then organized a virtual meeting with Women Deliver, which organizes the Conference. In this meeting, Women Deliver shared great news for the disability community.
Join me as I tell you more about the Conference and the participation of people with disabilities in it.
What is Women Deliver?
Women Deliver is a multisectoral convening that takes place every three years with the aim to advance gender equality. The 2023 Conference will be a hybrid event that will take place both in person in Kigali, Rwanda, and virtually.
Who participates in the Conferences?
Women Deliver conferences bring together thousands of decision-makers, including members of civil society, government agencies, the private sector, and international agencies, together with women’s rights organizations and movements, youth-led organizations, and members of the LGBTQ+ community, as well as activists representing the intersectional identities of girls, women and underrepresented populations, including people with disabilities. All of these people come together to identify solutions, strengthen accountability and drive positive change.
What commitments have been made to include the disability community?
One of the things that I was thrilled to find out about the Conference is that some commitments have been made to ensure the meaningful participation of people with disabilities, including:
— Providing simultaneous interpretation in English, French, Spanish, and International Sign on-site and online;
— Providing closed captioning and interpretation in English, French, and Spanish;
— Providing accessibility services that include trauma-informed specialists, child safeguarding support, and mental health specialists;
— Prioritizing scholarship applicants with disabilities and allocating funds for support people and other access needs for scholarship recipients;
— Conducting an accessibility audit of the venues and ensuring accessibility as much as possible;
— Ensuring digital accessibility for the virtual conference and all conference materials, and
— Ensuring disability representation in plenary sessions and encouraging organizers to prioritize disability representation in concurrent sessions.
We have no excuse to miss it! Let’s bring the disability perspective to all the spaces where our rights are debated!
Registration for the Conference is open. Click here to register.
Apply for a scholarship
Would you like to participate in this Conference? Me too!
For me, the best part is that there are scholarships available to attend. People from low- and middle-income countries and members of discriminated communities, including persons with disabilities, will be given priority in the selection process.
Applications for on-site and virtual scholarships are now open and will close on October 1, 2022. Don’t miss the chance and apply for a scholarship here.
If you encounter any accessibility issues in the application process, please reach out to wd2023@womendeliver.org.
Host concurrent sessions
Another way that people with disabilities can participate in Women Deliver 2023 is through concurrent sessions.
These sessions are spaces for participants to focus on key issues, gain knowledge from experienced speakers, and learn and build on their advocacy skills.
Each organization may submit up to three applications in total. Applications for on-site and virtual sessions will be open through November 1, 2022, and will be accepted in English, French, and Spanish.
These sessions are a key space for us to bring important issues at the intersection of gender and disability to a global platform. Let’s take this opportunity! Submit an application to host a simultaneous session by clicking here.
Suggest speakers
The 2023 Conference is a great opportunity to amplify the voices of people with disabilities working for gender equality. Our community has valuable experiences and knowledge, and it’s time for the world to learn about them.
If you know someone with a disability — it can even be yourself! — who wants to participate as a speaker in Women Deliver, you can nominate them by filling out this form.
Share this invitation with your networks so that the disability community is represented in Women Deliver 2023. Are you with me?
If you have questions about participating in the Conference or if you encounter any accessibility barriers, please reach out to wd2023@womendeliver.org.
About the author
Estefanía Cubillos Nova (she/her) is a journalist. She is also a graduate of MIUSA’s WILD Leadership and Disability Institute.
