Dr Caroline Jagoe Sherman recently attended the annual Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at the United Nations in New York. This year marks the 20th anniversary since the adoption of the Convention, one of the most widely ratified Human Rights treaties.
Dr Jagoe Sherman was invited to speak at a UN side-event at the Conference of States Parties to the UNCRPD on 10 June 2026 and spoke about the impact of armed conflict on persons with disabilities.
This high profile event involved the chief representatives of important International Organisations including ICRC and UN Human Rights, alongside major UN funding body the Global Disability Fund also speaking. The event was opened by the Minister of State with special responsibility for disability, Emer Higgins and the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Ireland to the UN Fergal Mythen.
Image: Dr Caroline Jagoe Sherman speaking at the UN side-event at the Conference of States Parties to the UNCRPD on 10 June 2026.
Invited by the Permanent Mission of Ireland to the UN for an event co-sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Poland, Dr Jagoe Sherman spoke alongside Claudia Fuentes Julio, UN Assistant Secretary for Human Rights, Jean-François Quéguiner, the Deputy Permanent Observer and Head of Legal Department of the International Committee of the Red Cross and Ahmed Ghanem from the Global Disability Fund. Also contributing were representatives of three Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), Dr Iyad Krunz from Stars of Hope (Gaza, Palestine), Mohammed Jaiballa Ali from the Sudan National Union of the Deaf and Maryna Tekuchova from Fight for Right (Ukraine).
Dr Jagoe Sherman spoke about the work of the SADIE Network, a research network housed in Trinity Research in Social Sciences (TRISS). Her contribution focused on the evidence of how violations of International Law, and International Humanitarian Law in particular, have a distinct and disproportionate impact on persons with disabilities. Dr Jagoe Sherman said, ‘absolutely we need donor governments to fund accessible and inclusive humanitarian response that involves OPD partners. This is a critically important need but it must be complemented by political will and action to end impunity, funding towards disability-inclusive response cannot be a means to avoid political action.’ She went on to reflect, ‘Having been born and lived most of my life in South Africa, I am deeply grateful that the International Community enacted sanctions and divested from the apartheid regime. These types of actions move the needle of justice and have the potential to address the root causes of violent oppression and therefore mitigate the distinct and disproportionate impact of armed conflict on persons with disabilities.’
Image: Dr Caroline Jagoe Sherman pictured with Fergal Mythens, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Ireland to the UN, Emer Higgins, Minister of State for Disability, and other delegates.