The following statement was published in the Sunday Sun newspaper on 5 July 2026. Click to view newspaper feature

Leave No One Behind

Celebrating 50 Years of Disability Advocacy

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Multi-Country Office extends heartfelt congratulations to the Barbados Council for the Disabled on the celebration of its 50th anniversary. For five decades, the Council has been a leading advocate for the rights, dignity, and empowerment of persons with disabilities, helping to create a more inclusive and equitable Barbados.

At UNDP, we believe that sustainable development is only possible when everyone can participate fully in society. Guided by the principle of ‘leave no one behind’, we are committed to advancing disability inclusion, accessibility, and equal opportunities across Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean. As countries face changes in access to development funding, inclusion remains central to UNDP’s development planning and programming – whether we are focusing on climate change, disaster recovery and resilience, sustainable finance, access to justice or citizen security. We strive to ensure that persons with disabilities have a voice in shaping the programmes, policies, and solutions we support.

Through partnerships with governments, civil society organizations, the private sector and organizations like the Barbados Council for the Disabled, UNDP has supported efforts to strengthen disability-inclusive policies and systems. In Barbados, this includes a comprehensive, participatory Situational Analysis of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Barbados that helped identify barriers and opportunities for greater inclusion. Additionally, UNDP partnered with the Government of Barbados to host the XVI Ministerial Forum for Development in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2024. The Bridgetown Declaration emerging from the Forum reaffirmed the importance of inclusive social protection systems and recognized accessibility and disability inclusion as key elements of resilient and sustainable development.

As the Barbados Council for the Disabled celebrates this golden anniversary, we congratulate them for 50 years of advocacy, leadership, and service. UNDP will continue to work alongside the Council and other partners to build societies where persons with disabilities can participate fully, exercise their rights, and contribute to sustainable development for all.