Sri Lankan disability rights advocate Nilshani De Silva has been selected to represent the country at the 19th Session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, Newswire reported on Friday.
Appointed as Sri Lanka’s Youth Representative, De Silva will address the opening session on June 9 alongside the United Nations Secretary-General and other international leaders. The conference, which coincides with the 20th anniversary of the CRPD, is the world’s largest annual gathering on disability rights, drawing governments, policymakers and advocates from across the globe.
De Silva was born with Down syndrome and is a motivational speaker, teacher and fashion designer who has worked extensively to promote inclusion and challenge stereotypes about persons with disabilities.
Sri Lanka signed the CRPD in 2007 and ratified the treaty in 2016. The country will also chair the 19th Session of the Conference of States Parties this year, giving Colombo a high-profile diplomatic role at the meeting in addition to De Silva’s intervention.
Her selection follows the May 28 re-election of Sri Lankan diplomat Pradeep Kariyawasam as Chair of the UN Committee on Migrant Workers in Geneva, giving Sri Lanka two senior international roles in UN human rights and treaty body forums within a fortnight.
