Global Disability Summit 2025
Youth activists with disabilities from Show Abilities Uganda are advocating for their political rights with the Ugandan government. Photo credit: Rucha Chitnis
What is the Global Disability Summit?
The Global Disability Summit (GDS) is a unique global mechanism that aims to advance the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities, particularly from the Global South, by bringing together governments, organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs), civil society, and the private sector. The goal of the Summit is for relevant stakeholders, particularly governments, to make concrete commitments and mobilize efforts for the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
Our Role
Our Commitments for GDS 2025
GDS Focus area: Highlighting the need for funding
- DRF/DRAF commits to allocate at least 50% of the grants as flexible, core funding to emergent or marginalized OPDs from the global south.
GDS Focus area: Building collaborative advocacy
- DRF/DRAF commits to facilitate at least six regional peer and collective learning opportunities among OPDs in the Global South by April 2028. Of those, at least two will be cross-movement learning and collaboration opportunities between OPDs and other rights groups.
GDS Focus area: Implementation
- DRF/DRAF commits to producing at least 10 new resources by April 2028, informed by our grantees’ advocacy and collective learning efforts. These resources will support systems change work and solutions to further inclusion of individuals with disabilities across the Global South.
Our Goals for the Global Disability Summit 2025
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Raise awareness of GDS 2025, highlighting the potential of commitments and their importance for underrepresented persons with disabilities from the Global South.
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Support underrepresented persons with disabilities and their organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) to secure commitments from their national governments, ensuring accountability for these marginalized groups.
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Resource the participation of disability rights activists from the Global South at GDS 2025 in Berlin.
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Amplify the voices and success stories of disability rights activists from marginalized groups of persons with disabilities in the Global South, producing accessible videos centered around GDS demands and advocacy practices.
DRAF Impact
- Disability movements in Bangladesh, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Malawi, Rwanda, and Uganda have secured commitments from their national governments.
- Increased visibility of OPD-led solutions for disability inclusion and CRPD localization.
- Strengthening of relationships between OPDs and government agencies, opening doors for additional collaboration and policy influence.
“I am a Dalit woman with a disability. The Nepal government should allocate a specific budget for persons with disabilities from the Dalit community, including women with disabilities. If marginalized communities are included in the participation process across sectors like education, health, and employment, our communities will not be left behind. ”
Pampha Purkoti
Dalit with Disabilities Association Nepal