Report from our sessions and discussions at the World Congress organised by Inclusion International.
“We Are Inclusion” is the name of Inclusion International’s World Congress. The World Congress is a conference that brings together people with intellectual disabilities, our families, our organisations, and the people who support us.
Inclusion International’s 18th World Congress took place in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, from 15 to 17 September 2025.
There were also a Self-Advocacy Summit and Families Summit on 14 September. Several hundred participants took part in the Congress.
Inclusion Europe at the World Congress
Inclusion Europe represents Region Europe in Inclusion International.
Jyrki Pinomaa and Soufiane El Amrani are members of Council of Inclusion International.
Inclusion Europe organised several sessions at the World Congress:
Using data for advocacy.
Inge Volleberg and Soufiane El Amrani presented Inclusion Indicators and talked about how we use the data to advocate for full rights and inclusion. 20 participants attended the session.
Doing deinstitutionalisation.
Milan Šveřepa talked about how the Inclusion movement could change the way we promote transition from institutional to community-based care. 58 participants attended the session.
Find Your Voice: Speak Up and Be Heard!
Sandra Marques and László Bercse guided participants through a mix of activities, discussions, and reflections on what it means to speak up for yourself. Participants shared experiences, explored real-life situations through role-play and group exercises, and developed their own self-advocacy plans.
Participants exchanged ideas on how families and professionals can provide support while still respecting each person’s voice and choice.
See also: Hear Our Voices! 2025 self-advocacy conference
JUDY Project
Sandra Marques and László Bercse shared the results from the JUDY project that helped people with intellectual disabilities to build confidence, leadership, and self-advocacy skills. The project trained over 65 self-advocates and reached more than 800 participants across Central and Eastern Europe, showing how inclusive training can support people to move from institutions to community life.
Participants heard stories about self-advocates who became leaders, trained others, and spoke directly with decision-makers to promote real change.
Regional session – Europe
Meeting of European organisations. Guillaume Jacquinot led a discussion about situation in European countries and what we can do about it together.
- Inge Volleberg gave a brief update about Inclusion Indicators 2025.
- Freddy Jussien talked about EU budget advocacy.
- Milan Šveřepa mentioned a new report on gender equality and invited everyone to Europe in Action conference, which takes place 25 – 27 May 2026 in Italy.
There were organisations from Armenia, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the UK present at the session.
Report about the conference
During the World Congress, Inclusion Europe had many meetings and conversations with people from organisations in Europe and around the world, too.
It was great to meet so many people from around the world and learn all about their work.
Read our report: Inclusion Europe at the World Congress 2025 (PDF)