The World Congress

The World Congress is a big conference that Inclusion International hosts every 4 years.

It is a time for self-advocates, family members, their organisations, and others who believe in inclusion to come together in person.

The World Congress is a space where our network can connect, learn what works in different countries, and make big plans for the future of our work.

When we come together in Sharjah in 2025, this will be Inclusion International’s 18th World Congress.

Here are the answers to the big questions you might have about the World Congress:

Who comes to the World Congress? ▼

People from all over the world come to the World Congress.

You will meet people from Inclusion International’s member organisations, and people not in our network.

There will be self-advocates, family members, and many other people who care about inclusion.

There will be people from self-advocacy organisations, family organisations, service providers, governments, and other organisations.

Everyone who believes in inclusion is welcome at the World Congress.

What will happen at the World Congress? ▼

The World Congress is a conference.

This means that there will be different sessions (big and small meetings and presentations) happening every day.

Some of the sessions will be big. All 1,200 people will be together in one room. These are called “plenary sessions.” These will happen at the start and the end of the World Congress.

In between, there will be many different smaller sessions happening. Some will be small (30 people) and some will be big (200 people).

The sessions will be about the issues that are important to our network.

Everyone coming to the World Congress will choose what sessions they want to go to. You will need to decide carefully because there will be many sessions happening at the same time.

There will also be some sessions that are only for certain people—for example, only for self-advocates or only for people from one region.

There will also be social activities to meet people, and cultural activities to learn about the United Arab Emirates.

Why should I come to the World Congress? ▼

The World Congress is the only time when all of the people from around the world who believe in inclusion can come together in person.

This is an important chance for our network to talk and learn about big issues we care about—like inclusive education, employment, closing institutions, and more!

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, our network has not come together in person since 2018.

So much has happened in the last 7 years—there have been two Global Disability Summits, new guidelines on closing institutions, and lots of successes from our members in their countries! We will have a lot to share and talk about!

People like coming to the World Congress because they get to learn from what worked in other places.

People who come to our World Congresses tell us that they love the energy, seeing people learn from each other, and the participation from all around the globe.

The conference reinforced my optimism that, while things change slowly, we have made progress in our collective work. Also found the opportunity to share issues with people from other parts of the world really helpful.

World Congress 2018 Attendee, the Americas

It was a very friendly conference in which you provided great opportunities for learning, valued and rich opportunities for people with disabilities to make key contributions.

World Congress 2018 Attendee, Asia-Pacific

When do I need to decide if I'm coming? ▼

Registration for the World Congress will open in February 2025.

You can register up until August 2025.

But it is a good idea not to leave signing up and booking your flights and hotels too late—booking early also makes sure you get the cheapest price for coming to the World Congress!

These are the main dates you need to know about for the World Congress:

When	What’s happening?
November 2024	Session Applications Open This is when people who want to lead a session at the World Congress can apply to be part of the programme.
February 2024	Session Applications Close February 28, 2024, will be the last day that applications for sessions will be accepted.
February 2025	Registration for the World Congress opens! You can sign up to join us on the "Register" page. If you sign up in February or March, you will pay a lower ticket price. Make sure you sign up early!
March 2025	Session speakers confirmed People who applied to run a session at the World Congress will hear back about whether their session was approved.
April 2025	Registration prices go up Cheaper ticket prices will end at the end of March. From April 1, 2025, it will cost more to sign up for the World Congress.
May 2025	Final programme released By May, you will be able to see all of the sessions happening at the World Congress and decide which ones you want to attend!
July 2025	Apply for your visa If you need a visa to travel, leave lots of time for your application. You can find more information about this on the Travel Page.
September 2025	Join us in Sharjah for the World Congress!