International Day of Persons with Disabilities

Marking the International Day for Persons with Disabilities , UN Global Advocate Giles Duley said that persons with disabilities are assets for workforce, reiterating the need to look at the societal barriers that are holding them back from achieving what they can. The Global Advocate spoke to reporters in New York. He highlighted the importance of listening to what the reality is like for people with disabilities. Duley said, “Too often people with disabilities are presented as inspiration, as resilient people. And of course, they are. But that means the stories of those left behind who are truly vulnerable are often ignored or forgotten. We can't romanticize the idea of disability.” Speaking about Gaza, the Global Advocate said, “People with disabilities whenever there is a crisis are the ones most vulnerable,” adding that “people living on top floors of apartment buildings, when the electricity is gone, cannot evacuate. When warnings are done by sound, people who are deaf do ...

UN Women commissioned this guidance to support the inclusion of the perspectives of persons with disabilities throughout the UN Women evaluation cycle . The guide comprises:an introduction, outlining its relevance to UN Women ’s mandate, its purpose and intended audiences, and key considerations for using the guide ; an illustrative summary and accountability framework for the whole evaluation process; and guidance on disability inclusion by evaluation stages . Developmental indicators a re suggested for each stage of the evaluation process to motivate progress but are not part of the official accountability framework. Tools, resources, and good practices are also identified and referenced. Additional documents Publication (PDF, 1MB) Bibliographic information Resource type(s): Manuals and tools UN Women office publishing: Independent Evaluation Service Number of pages: 38 Publishing entities United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) Guidance on...

Every year, on 3 December , the world marks International Day of Persons with Disabilities . This day is a powerful reminder that disability inclusion is not an add-on; it is a core principle of our mission to achieve of Health for All. For 1.3 billion persons with disabilities worldwide - 16% of the global population - this vision often remains a distant promise. Persons with disabilities continue to face profound inequities in access to quality and affordable services. Together, let us build inclusive and accessible health systems with, by and for persons with disabilities. Dr Tedros; WHO Director-General.   Statement from Dr Tedros, WHO Director-General on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2025; December 3rd.

  Each year on 3 December , UN Women and our partners in Asia and the Pacific celebrate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities . The 2025 theme is “ Fostering disability inclusive societies for advancing social progress ”. Across the region, millions of women and girls with disabilities continue to face barriers that limit their access to services, opportunities and decision-making spaces. Guided by UN Women’s corporate strategy on the empowerment of women and girls with disabilities and by the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy (UNDIS), UN Women works with women and girls with disabilities to strengthen recognition of the rights of women and girls with disabilities, dismantle barriers to inclusion and expand opportunities for their meaningful participation and leadership.

  1 -EVALUATION STAGE PLANNING.  1.1 How is disability inclusion considered in the evaluation plan?  1.2 Have I budgeted for accessibility requirements and reasonable accommodations from the beginning?  2 - EVALUATION STAGE PREPARATION. 2.1 How are the ToR ensuring disability inclusion throughout the evaluation?  2.2 How are persons with disabilities engaged as rights holders in decisionmaking in evaluation processes and outcomes?  2.3 How and what am I  3 - EVALUATION STAGE CONDUCT . 3.1 Have I captured the situation of persons with disabilities?  3.2 Who are the key OPDs and disability-relevant stakeholders in the context?  3.3 How am I ensuring meaningful participation of OPDs and disability-relevant stakeholders?  3.4 How has the expertise of persons with disabilities been used to inform design and testing of data collection methods?  3.5 Are both qualitative and quantitative methods applied to capture the experiences of persons...

  “ UN Women’s approach to disability inclusion is grounded in the understanding that women and girls with disabilities are rights-holders, leaders and agents of change. A core part of UN Women’s approach is engaging directly with women and girls with disabilities and their representative organizations , ensuring their perspectives and lived experience inform and guide our efforts. We apply an intersectional lens that recognizes the diversity of women and girls with disabilities and how other identities and factors can exacerbate and shape experiences of discrimination. Follow the discussion on social media: #IDPD2025 .

On this #IDPD2025 , UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador  Xueli_Abbing reminds us how vital it is to create platforms where everyone can be seen, heard and empowered . Join our call to build more inclusive societies!

On 3 December 2025, the United Nations will commemorate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) under the theme “ Fostering disability-inclusive societies for advancing social progress. ” This year’s observance builds directly on the momentum of the Second World Summit for Social Development , held in Doha in 4-6 November 2025, where world leaders reaffirmed their commitment to building a just, inclusive and equitable world . A Call to Place Disability Inclusion at the Centre of Social Progress. The Doha Political Declaration reminds the global community that advancing social development is impossible without the full inclusion, participation and leadership of persons with disabilities . Yet, in every region, persons with disabilities continue to face persistent barriers: Higher risks of poverty Limited access to decent work and lower wages Gaps in social protection, especially for those in the informal sector Barriers to autonomy, dignity and agency within car...

  The webinar is organized by UN Women and UNFPA, in partnership with UN Working Group on Gender and Disability Inclusion (UNWGGDI), UNSDG System-wide Evaluation Office, Government of Finland, International Disability Alliance and Women Enabled International. The main goal of the event is the launch of UNDIS Gender Assessment report and to provide a space to reflect on how to put the report’s recommendations into action moving from participation to power, and from box-ticking to transformation. A policy roundtable will follow. Objectives of the webinar : To highlight the leadership and voices of women and girls with disabilities in shaping policy and accountability mechanisms, such as UNDIS. To officially launch and discuss the findings of the report Gender Responsiveness in the United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy (UNDIS) . To discuss the findings of the system-wide evaluation of the United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy and the findings of the gender assessment ...