Nothing Without Us at the G20
Photo courtesy IJC
Blog by Deisiana Campos Paes, Stella Reicher, and Vinicius Fidelis Costa
The Disability (D20) initiative was created to reshape global economic, political, and social discussions by ensuring the active political participation of people with disabilities in the G20.
The G20 is an international forum that brings together the 19 largest economies and two supranational entities. It plays a crucial role in shaping economic policies and discussing pressing global issues such as social justice and climate change. Representing 87% of the world’s GDP and 80% of the global population, the G20 has significant influence on international economic governance.
Within the G20, social participation occurs through engagement groups—dynamic spaces that bring together diverse sectors to discuss specific issues and share unique perspectives.
One such group is Civil 20 (C20), which represents civil society within the G20. In its past two editions, C20 created specific working groups to address disability-related issues, actively listening to organizations led by and advocating for persons with disabilities. In this context, in 2023, Instituto Jô Clemente (IJC) participated in a C20 event in India, held during the country’s G20 presidency. This event, organized by the Disability, Equity, and Justice Working Group, focused on best practices for increasing the political participation of people with disabilities.
After contributing to this discussion, IJC returned to Brazil with a mission: to continue this work and amplify the visibility and political participation of people with disabilities in the G20 during Brazil’s leadership in 2024.
An estimated 1.3 billion people worldwide live with a disability with 80% of them living in developing countries—the very nations most affected by the G20’s decisions. Yet, critical spaces and policy solutions tackling intersecting issues of climate change, poverty, education, and technology lack an intersectional disability lens.
A New Approach: Mainstreaming Disability Across All Discussions
During Brazil’s G20 leadership, C20 adopted a new strategy: instead of placing disability within a separate working group, it was addressed across all ten thematic groups. While innovative, this approach presented challenges. Ensuring accessibility and participation alone was not enough—meaningful engagement required deeper structural changes. The process revealed limitations that needed to be addressed to make inclusion a true reality.
Deisiana Campos Paes“With support from the Disability Rights Fund (DRF), IJC launched the D20—a bold and transformative initiative designed to engage people with disabilities, embrace their diversity, bring intersectional perspectives, and develop policy recommendations for Brazilian authorities and other G20 leaders.”
The D20 engagement process began with a public call, attracting over 130 people with disabilities from diverse backgrounds. Participants selected key discussion topics, aligning them with C20’s ten structural themes. These discussions included race and gender, hunger and poverty, and environmental justice, all examined through a disability-inclusive lens.
To lead these discussions, 20 facilitators with disabilities were selected to guide the debates. This ensured that leadership remained in the hands of people with disabilities, who actively shaped the process—from preparing materials to formulating policy recommendations.
In addition to providing accessibility resources, the initiative offered adapted support. This included preparatory sessions for participants with intellectual disabilities and autism and Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) interpretation for deaf participants who are not fluent in Portuguese.
A Historic Moment at the G20
A total of 47 organizations led by and advocating for people with disabilities, alongside researchers, policymakers, and social movements, joined forces to create lasting impact.
On November 13th, 2024, during the D20 Conference in Rio de Janeiro, where the G20 meetings took place, people with disabilities shared their experiences, challenges, and aspirations. The following day, D20 had a strong presence at GSocial, a government-led event where civil society presented policy proposals to leaders of the world’s largest economics. Here, D20 reinforced its role in shaping discussions on disability. Learn more about this powerful movement here.
Photo courtesy IJC
The Triumph of the D20
The greatest achievement of D20 was demonstrating to the world that people with disabilities are experts in their fields. While they navigate daily barriers imposed by exclusionary societies, they also bring irreplaceable knowledge to discussions on food security, philanthropy, sustainable development, and other critical global issues.
On November 15th, D20 participants met with Brazil’s Minister of Human Rights and Citizenship, Macaé Evaristo. During this meeting, they presented a policy document, endorsed by over 40 national and international organizations.
The Brazilian government reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that people with disabilities continue to have a voice in future G20 discussions.
A Permanent Movement for Inclusion
We are proud to have reached our ambitious goal by:
✔️ Showcasing the expertise of people with disabilities
✔️ Ensuring their opinions are heard at the highest levels
✔️ Transforming the D20 pilot initiative into an ongoing movement
But the work is far from over. To sustain meaningful participation, we need more than just goodwill—we need adequate investment to ensure accessibility and full inclusion. Additionally, we must continue mobilizing and empowering people with disabilities to engage in decision-making spaces.
To support this effort, IJC will make the D20 methodology publicly available, enabling organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) and civil society groups worldwide to adapt and implement it in their own advocacy efforts.
Join This Movement!
Photo courtesy IJC
We invite all advocates, policymakers, and allies to support this cause and ensure the participation of people with disabilities shape the future of global decision-making.
Nothing About Us Without Us!