New York, USA – June 2024
At the 17th Conference of States Parties (COSP17) to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), women with psychosocial disabilities stood at the forefront of advocacy for inclusive mental health and disability rights. Among them was Robinah Alambuya, Executive Director of Triumph Uganda Mental Health Support, who represented Disabled Women in Africa (DIWA) and the broader African movement of women with disabilities.
Robinah’s participation marked a significant milestone in ensuring that women with psychosocial disabilities are not just participants but key influencers in global conversations on human rights and mental health policy. Speaking during COSP side events and high-level dialogues, Robinah called for greater recognition of lived experience, leadership, and peer support models as central to advancing the rights of persons with psychosocial disabilities.
“Mental health inclusion must move from token participation to meaningful representation,” she stated. “Our stories are not about vulnerability, but about strength and survival. We are not beneficiaries of change — we are agents of it.”
Through engagements with the International Disability Alliance (IDA), World Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry, and other global partners, Robinah and DIWA emphasized that mental health and gender inclusion must be fully integrated into CRPD implementation frameworks and national development agendas.
DIWA’s participation in COSP17 highlighted the organization’s unwavering commitment to ensuring women with all types of disabilities , including psychosocial, intellectual, and invisible disabilities, are visible, valued, and represented in all spheres of policy and decision-making.
“The presence of leaders like Robinah Alambuya at COSP demonstrates the strength of our intergenerational and intersectional movement,” said Ruth Mkutumula, Executive Director of DIWA. “It reaffirms that real inclusion means bringing every woman, in her diversity, to the center of change.”
As the global community continues to assess progress in implementing the UNCRPD, DIWA remains steadfast in advancing women’s leadership, mental health advocacy, and inclusive governance at continental and international levels, ensuring that the principle of “Nothing About Us Without Us” becomes a lived reality for all.
About COSP
The Conference of States Parties to the UNCRPD (COSP) is the UN’s annual global meeting bringing together governments, civil society, and organizations of persons with disabilities to review progress on disability rights and share good practices for inclusion worldwide.
