UNDP welcomes the adoption of the Law on Unified Disability Assessment

October 17, 2025
Audience seated in a conference room, diverse attendees listening to a speaker.

Info Days on the Adoption of the Law on Unified Disability Assessment

UNDP Montenegro/Duško Miljanić

Podgorica, October 18, 2025 - TheUnited Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Montenegro welcomes the adoption of the Law on Unified Disability Assessment. This represents a key step towards establishing a fairer and more efficient system for exercising the rights of persons with disabilities.

This reform is particularly important as, for the first time, it places the user at the center of the system – administrative procedures become simpler, and access to rights fairer and faster. More than 60,000 persons with disabilities in Montenegro will be able to exercise their rights through a transparent, dignified, and unified process.

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Deputy Head of Cooperation at the Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro, Liselotte Isaksson; Minister of Social Welfare, Family Care and Demography, Damir Gutić; UNDP Resident Representative in Montenegro, Ekaterina Paniklova; and moderator Marina Vujačić, UMHCG.

UNDP Montenegro/Duško Miljanić

 

Implemented by the Government of Montenegro since 2020 with the support of the European Union and UNDP, this reform brings a fundamental shift in approach – moving from a medical model of disability assessment to a human rights–based model. In practice, this means that instead of focusing on diagnoses and medical conditions, the assessment will focus on the person, recognizing what kind of support they need to overcome the barriers they face in everyday life. 

For the first time, a national register of persons with disabilities will be established, as well as the Institute for Unified Disability Assessment, which will bring together the work previously carried out by multiple commissions across five sectors. This will introduce a single assessment and a single decision valid across different areas – social and child protection, labor, employment and professional rehabilitation, education, veterans’ protection, and pension and disability insurance – eliminating the need for repeated assessments in each. 

Four panelists on stage in a conference room with microphones; blue screen with text behind.
A man at the back holds up a document while others sit in a meeting room.
Audience in a bright room; a woman in red stands and speaks to seated attendees.
Man in brown jacket stands with a microphone in a crowded, well-lit audience.
Diverse audience in a bright conference room listening to a speaker at the front.
Crowded audience seated in a conference hall, attentive and facing forward.

 

The Law also introduces four levels of support, determined based on individual needs rather than solely on medical diagnosis. It acknowledges that people do not live under the same conditions – that barriers and access to services differ, for example, between Podgorica and northern municipalities – and that the system must respond to the real circumstances in which each person lives. 

The reform also marks an important step toward changing social perceptions of disability. It sends a message that every person, regardless of barriers, has the right to contribute to society, and that society has a responsibility to remove obstacles that hinder equal participation. This strengthens citizens’ trust in institutions and lays the foundation for a more inclusive, resilient, and equitable social protection system. In the long term, this means less inequality and a stronger society that respects the dignity of every individual. 

By adopting this law, which will take effect on July 1, 2026, Montenegro demonstrates its commitment to building an inclusive society based on equal opportunities and strengthening institutions that protect human rights. The disability assessment reform will also be key to implementing the Reform Agenda and the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, as it contributes to reducing inequalities and creating more efficient public services. 

UNDP remains a committed partner in creating the conditions for the implementation of this important reform and, together with institutions, citizens, and communities, will continue to contribute to building a society where everyone has the opportunity to reach their full potential.