The need for action: Why youth leadership matters
Across the world, young people with disabilities are often left out of key decisions that shape their lives. Policies are made without their voices, digital and physical spaces remain inaccessible, and leadership opportunities are limited. Yet, youth with disabilities are innovators, changemakers, and advocates.
The Pact for the Future, particularly Actions 35 and 36, highlights the urgent need for inclusive youth participation and leadership. Building on this framework will ensure that youth with disabilities are effectively represented and that their contributions drive meaningful progress.
- Action 35 (D): Promotes the social inclusion of young persons with disabilities, emphasizing the removal of barriers to their autonomy and participation in all aspects of life. It also stresses the importance of assistive technologies in achieving these goals.
- Action 36 (C): Calls for enhanced participation of youth, including young persons with disabilities, in national policymaking processes to ensure their voices are heard and their rights are protected.
What is the Youth Call to Action?
The IDA Youth Committee, in collaboration with UNICEF and Sightsavers, has developed a clear strategy for inclusive youth engagement leading up to the Global Disability Summit (GDS) 2025. The Youth Call to Action is a key outcome document, designed to amplify the voices of young people with disabilities and turn them into tangible change at the GDS and beyond.
This document aims to tackle the barriers young people with disabilities face which includes limited access to education and employment, digital inaccessibility, and a lack of meaningful participation in policymaking, and to advocate for actionable commitments that prioritize youth leadership, accessibility, and inclusion.
At its core, the Youth Call to Action is a declaration that young people with disabilities are not just beneficiaries of policies; they are leaders, problem-solvers, and essential actors in shaping an inclusive future.
Building an inclusive global movement
The Youth Call to Action has been built through an inclusive and consultative process with young people with disabilities worldwide. This includes:
- Accessible virtual consultations: We organized consultations in multiple languages through a series of webinars to gather diverse perspectives of youth with disabilities on key priorities.
- Global online survey: The survey was conducted to ensure broad and meaningful participation from youth with disabilities across the world.
Following these consultations, youth representatives worked together to draft the Call to Action, ensuring it captures the real challenges and priorities of young people with disabilities. The final document will be launched at GDS 2025, where it will be presented to global leaders as a blueprint for action on youth inclusion.
Side event at GDS 2025: Youth leadership now – a call to action on the meaningful engagement of youth with disabilities
At GDS 2025, the IDA Youth Committee, UNICEF, and Sightsavers (Equal World campaign) will host an in-person side event titled “Youth Leadership Now – a call to action on the meaningful engagement of youth with disabilities.” This event will spotlight the Youth Call to Action as a powerful document that will accompany the GDS Declaration.
Details of the side event:
- Date: April 3, 2025 (Day 2 of the GDS)
- Time: 10:30 – 11:30 am CET
- Location: Hall 7.3, Station, Berlin
This side event will feature youth with disabilities who are delegates at the GDS as panelists and speakers, along with high-level government officials who are committed to supporting youth inclusion. The session will highlight key recommendations from the Youth Call to Action and foster a dynamic dialogue where youth with disabilities will share the actions needed, while government representatives will outline the steps they are committing to in response.
Find the Endorsement for the Youth Call to Action GDS 2025 here
Find the Youth Call to Action in English, Arabic, French, Portuguese, Spanish.
