We need action, not just words

Worldwide, people with disabilities face inequality in many areas of life, including education, health care, housing, employment and political participation.

Although specific treaties exist to uphold disability rights, including the the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the African Disability Protocol, many people with disabilities still encounter barriers and discrimination when accessing their rights.

The UN Sustainable Development Goals – agreed by global leaders in 2015 to address poverty, inequality and climate change, with a promise to ‘leave no one behind’ – are so far off track that they will never be delivered at the current rate of progress.

Words are not enough to address the inequalities faced by 1.3 billion people with disabilities: we need urgent action on disability rights.

In 2025, the Global Disability Summit and the World Summit for Social Development will be two major opportunities for governments to take action, particularly in disability-inclusive employment, social protection and poverty eradication.