We are almost there! Four years after the first Global Disability Summit (London, 2018) and several COVID-19 imposed postponements, the international community will gather online for the Second Global Disability Summit on 16 and 17 February.
Wrap up! Civil Society Forum and Global Disability Summit 23-24 July 2018, London
- July 24, 2018
On 24 July 2018, the UK Department for International Development (DFID), along with the International Disability Alliance (IDA) and the Government of Kenya, hosted the first Global Disability Summit in London.
The recordings for the Civil Society Forum (23 July)
Media Highlights of the Global Disability Summit
The International Disability Alliance, the Government Norway and the Government of Ghana hosted the second Global Disability Summit on 15 - 17 February 2022 (GDS2022). The Summit was held virtually due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and to allow for wider participation.
The event was live streamed on the Government of Norway website here.
- You can download the Chair’s Summary here
- Watch the recordings of the GDS2022
The Summit mobilized efforts for the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the principle of leaving no one behind and on building back better and more inclusive with regards to Covid-19.
The first Global Disability Summit (GDS18), held in 2018 in London, was a historical moment for disability inclusion and the rights of persons with disabilities. GDS18 generated an unprecedented level of focus on and commitment to disability-inclusive development. GDS2022 was built on the results achieved at the first Summit, to further accelerate much-needed progress towards the fulfillment of the rights of persons with disabilities worldwide.
With more than 7,000 participants, and 1420 new commitments made by over 190 stakeholders, the virtual two-day summit witnessed the announcement of new policies and funding, as well as ground-breaking initiatives to support people with disabilities in education, inclusive health care, in the job market and in gender rights. In addition, commitments were also received on the Summit’s two overarching themes of ‘Meaningful engagement of persons with disabilities through their representative organisations’, ‘Building back better and more inclusive after COVID-19’ and ‘Gender’ as a cross cutting theme. There were also pledges to ensure that the voices of Organisations of People with Disabilities (OPDs) were heard, and that there was meaningful consultation with them when vital decisions were taken. Meaningful OPD participation was a theme that resonated strongly through the two days at the Summit and among many of the side-events. This was reinforced by the launch of the GDS discussion paper on OPD engagement.
The two-day event saw the participation of the UN Secretary General, high-level government representatives and directors of UN agencies, along with representatives of multilateral development banks, the private sector, OPDs, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), academia, and businesses.
GDS2022 was preceded by a Global Disability Youth Summit(GDS Youth), held on the 14th of February 2022, the world’s first Global Disability Youth Summit, co-hosted by IDA, UNICEF, and the Atlas Alliance, represented by Youth Mental Health Norway and a Civil Society Forum, held on the 15th of February 2022 and organized by the Civil Society Reference Group (CSRG), in consultation with other relevant partners. GDS2022 also further entrenched the mechanism regionally and mobilized efforts for commitments with 5 Regional Summits, 4 Thematic Workshops, 2 Thematic Roundtables, and 91 side events held in parallel to the GDS22.
CALL FOR PROPOSALS - Global Disability Summit Grants
The Global Disability Summit (GDS) and the International Disability Alliance (IDA) are granting DPOs to support local and national initiatives contributing to the implementation and monitoring of GDS commitments for change.
Completed applications must be submitted by email to grant [at] ida-secretariat.org under the title “GDS Grants 2022” on Friday 2 September 2022. Applications must be completed in English.
New co-hosts announced for third Global Disability Summit
The governments of Germany and Jordan will co-host the third Global Disability Summit in 2025. This news was announced at the close of the second and final day of the Global Disability Summit, which saw ambitious commitments from world leaders and organisations from across the world to improve the lives of people with disabilities.
First day of Global Disability Summit results in ground-breaking commitments to disability rights from global leaders
Yesterday, governments and other organisations from around the world came together at Global Disability Summit and pledged to improve the lives of people with disabilities. Many announced new policies and funding. While the first Summit in 2018 was a real pacesetter with over 400 participants and 968 commitments, the second Summit is taking this higher and further, with more than 7000 participants and more than 1250 commitments.
World leaders join together for Global Disability Summit 2022
Tomorrow (16 February) the International Disability Alliance (IDA) and the Governments of Norway and Ghana will host the second ever Global Disability Summit.
IDA's Role as Co-Host to the Global Disability Summit
What does the co-hosting of International Disability Alliance, an Alliance of organisations of persons with disabilities, mean for the Global Disability Summit and the rights of persons with disabilities? Read our briefing here.
