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Last week, the United Nations Global Disability Fund (GDF) actively participated in high-level events during the 18th Session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, aimed at advancing disability rights and ensuring that the voices of over 1.3 billion persons with disabilities are heard and acted upon.
We always leave COSP inspired by the energy, commitments, and ambition shared throughout the week —and even more motivated to drive the change that is needed.
But the reality is stark: if these ambitions are not backed by adequate financing, we simply cannot achieve the results required. Without urgent and increased investment in disability inclusion, we will collectively fall short of our global commitments.
Despite the challenges—shrinking aid budgets, shifting priorities, and rising humanitarian crises—there has never been a more critical time to prioritize disability inclusion. At the Global Disability Fund, we are ready to step up. Together with our partners, we remain deeply optimistic about our ability to make a meaningful difference in the lives of persons with disabilities around the world.
Since our inception in 2012, the Fund has impacted the lives of nearly 880 million persons with disabilities through 111 joint programmes across 100 countries. Together, we have supported the adoption of 118 inclusive laws and policies, driven 264 system-level changes, and trained over 116,000 representatives from governments, organizations of persons with disabilities, and the UN system. Nearly 3,000 OPDs have participated in our programmes, helping to ensure that persons with disabilities lead and shape our work at every level.
At COSP18, we officially launched our new five-year strategy with an ambitious promise: to deliver results in over 100 countries by 2030.
We know that achieving this requires more than funding programmes. Our new strategy commits to:
• Increasing knowledge generation
• Fostering South-South technical cooperation
• Delivering tailored, interactive capacity-building solutions
To support these commitments, we will establish a new Global Service Centre, as a hub for programmatic support, knowledge exchange, and technical assistance on disability inclusion.
Working closely with organizations of persons with disabilities remains central to our approach. OPDs are not only invaluable partners, they are the drivers of transformative change. We will continue to deepen our collaboration with the International Disability Alliance, especially at regional and country levels, to ensure our efforts are firmly grounded in the lived experiences of communities.
As we look ahead, we are hopeful. The progress we have made is significant. But our journey is far from over.
Originally published on globaldisabilityfund.org