The UN Global Disability Fund (GDF), together with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the International Disability Alliance (IDA), formally launched the Resilient and Inclusive Cities Hub (RICH) during the 2025 Global Disability Summit on 2 April 2025.

The launch event brought together high-level stakeholders to discuss the critical need for and opportunities to build more inclusive cities around the world.

The launch event featured keynote speeches by H.E. Svenja Schulze, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany, and Dr. Ola Abualghaib, Director of the UN Global Disability Fund, followed by a panel discussion including Sir Stephen Timms, Minister of State, UK; Ms. Anacláudia Rossbach, Executive Director, UN-Habitat; Ms. Diana Rodriguez Franco, Special Advisor, Inter-American Development Bank; Mr. Haoliang Xu, UNDP Associate Administrator; Mr. Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o, Governor of Kisumu County, Kenya; and Mr. Cato Lie, First Vice President, International Disability Alliance.

Managed by the Global Disability Fund, RICH is an innovative and catalytic mechanism for multistakeholder engagement, learning, and solutions delivery. The initiative aims to invest USD 250 million in 50 cities around the world by 2030, advancing the agenda for resilient and inclusive urban development.

“RICH is a groundbreaking initiative that will transform urban environments and create cities where everyone can thrive,” said Dr. Ola Abualghaib, Director of the UN Global Disability Fund. “With an extraordinarily high level of global crises related to climate and conflict, we have an opportunity to positively influence the creation or rebuilding of inclusive infrastructure and processes in cities, ensuring persons with disabilities are involved and accommodated from the start.”

GDF also announced six city projects selected for the pilot round of programming under the initiative, each focusing on resilience, essential services, physical and digital accessibility, or support and protection services. The projects will be implemented during 2025 – 2026 and will contribute to a global data repository hosted by the GDF, which will aim to increase availability of and access to evidence.

• Amman, Jordan, led by the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM)
• Kigali, Rwanda, led by the Global Disability Innovation Hub (GDI Hub)
• Kisumu, Kenya, led by United Cities Local Governments (UCLG)
• Historic center of Rímac, Lima, Peru, led by the Inter-American Development Bank (ADB)
• Mopti, Mali, led by UNICEF
• Baguio City, Philippines, led by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)

Further rounds of programming are expected to be announced during 2025. Additional details can be found on the GDF website: https://globaldisabilityfund.org/rich/.