Nairobi, Kenya: Today, September 5, 2024, the African Regional Pre-Summit, marks the beginning of a crucial series of regional events leading up to the Global Disability Summit (GDS) 2025. Organized by the African Disability Forum (ADF), the International Disability Alliance (IDA), and co-hosted by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), this pre-summit is the finale to the 2024 African Disability Conference held from 2-4 September in Nairobi.
As the first regional summit in the lead-up to GDS 2025, the African Pre-Summit will be instrumental in shaping the Summit’s agenda by highlighting African perspectives and priorities. This event underscores Africa’s pivotal role in the global disability movement and builds on the achievements of previous summits co-hosted by Kenya and Ghana in 2018 and 2022, respectively.
The African pre-summit will highlight the continent's unique contributions and priorities, ensuring that the perspective of African voices contributes to the shaping of regional commitments The foundational insights and commitments forged in Nairobi will inform the GDS 2025 scheduled to take place in Berlin, Germany, on April 2-3, 2025.
For the GDS, regional summits like this event underscore the importance of regional perspectives in shaping global disability policies, engaging organizations such as the African Union, Arab League, and European Union. These summits tailor the GDS themes to the specific needs and realities of each region, fostering relevant commitments and promoting cross-regional collaboration. By emphasizing the active role of the Global South, these summits aim to address the unique challenges and opportunities within each region while reinforcing the importance of geographical diversity and meaningful participation of Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs).
Find the programme here.