The 14th Conference of the State Parties was held mainly virtually due to the COVID-19 outbreak, on 15-17 June 2021, with the participation of the official representatives of the state parties to the Convention, representatives of international organizations and representatives of non-governmental organizations.

During the Conference which was held with the main agenda ‘Building back better: COVID-19 response and recovery; Meeting the needs, Realizing the rights, and Addressing the socio-economic impacts on persons with disabilities’, three round-tables were realized.The topics of the roundtables were ‘Protecting the rights of persons with disabilities in armed conflict and humanitarian emergencies’, ‘Living Independently, being included in the community’ and ‘Right to education; challenges with inclusive education and accessibility during COVID-19’ respectively. In addition, several side events were also held during the Conference.

National Statement of Turkish Republic, through which the steps taken by the Goverment in accordance with the CRPD in the last one year were explained, have been prepared and presented by the General Directorate of Services for Persons with Disabilities and the Elderly  every year in General Debate. But, this year due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the National Statement is presented by Serhad VARLI, Deputy Representative of Turkish Permanent Mission to UN. Serhad VARLI stated that the rights-based and family-oriented perspective adopted in disability-inclusive policy development and practices has been continued during the COVID-19 process. Mr. VARLI, added that protective, preventive and safety-providing measures were taken for persons with disabilities living in the society as well as for persons with disabilities living in institutions and institutions’s staff since the beginning of the COVID-19. Mr. VARLI stated that unlike other many countries, age triage was not applied in Turkey and vaccination priority is given to persons with disabilities, the elderly and institutions’s staff.

During the Conference Turkish Delegation has participated in to round-tables on ‘Protecting the rights of persons with disabilities in armed conflict and humanitarian emergencies’, ‘Living Independently, being included in the community’ in 16 June 2021. At the round-table on "Living independently, being included in the society", Mr. Tayyar KUZ, the Head of Research, Development and Statistics Department of the General Directorate of Services for Persons with Disabilities and the Elderly, took the floor. Mr. KUZ told about Turkey’s efforts to develop community-based services within the framework of an integrated service model in order to encourage persons with disabilities to live independently and to promote de-institutionalization in recent years and he added that these efforts have continued during the COVID-19.