International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2023

“United in action to rescue and achieve the SDGs for, with and by persons with disabilities.”

November 30, 2023

The Sustainable Development Goals -- or SDGs -- chart a bold course towards a future where no-one is left behind. 

Yet, with the 2030 ‘finish line’ now on the horizon, just 15% of SDG targets are on track in the wake of multiple crises.

The 1.3 billion persons with disabilities worldwide are amongst those who are most negatively affected by this limited progress.  

That includes continued exclusion from public goods and services and high levels of discrimination.

To deliver the SDGs for, with, and by persons with disabilities, disability inclusion must be embedded across every dimension of development. 

Consider UNDP’s work alongside the United Nations Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities -- or UNPRPD -- to ensure that everyone can have their say in climate action frameworks in countries such as Jordan, Somalia, and South Africa. Or look to Ukraine, where UNDP is supporting the socio-economic integration of persons with disabilities caused by the war.

Producing better data on disability inclusion is vital to deliver the greatest impact.

To this end, UNDP is working alongside organisations of persons with disabilities to gather data about challenges and opportunities in the realisation of their human rights.

Six such analyses have just been launched with support from the UNPRPD, which can inform the design of new inclusion policies.

The brighter tomorrow envisioned in the SDGs is one that must be co-created.

As we mark the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that means heeding the call of the disability movement: 

‘Nothing about us, without us.’