Disability Inclusion

Promoting disability inclusion across the operations and programming of the United Nations system is fundamental step in upholding human rights and achieving the commitments made in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and at the World Humanitarian Summit. Human rights, peace and security and sustainable development for all can only be enjoyed if persons with disabilities in all their diversity are included in society on an equal basis with others, and as both agents of change and beneficiaries of the outcomes of the work of the United Nations system.

CEB recognizes the importance of systematically embedding the rights of persons with disabilities in the work of the United Nations system, both externally, in programmes, and internally, and of building trust and confidence with persons with disabilities to ensure that they are valued and respected in their dignity and rights so that they may find in United Nations system organizations an enabling environment that allows them to participate fully and effectively and on an equal basis with others.

• UN Disability Strategy - In 2019, HLCM endorsed a UN system Disability Strategy, which provides the foundation for sustainable and transformative progress on disability inclusion through all pillars of the work of the United Nations through a system-wide policy, an accountability framework and other implementation modalities. The Disability Strategy is now object of an extensive effort of mainstreaming across the UN System, see the UN website page on the Strategy and the dedicated page on the Embracing Diversity website.
• HLCM also issued a statement calling on leaders and staff across the United Nations system to embrace disability inclusion as a key element to ensure a more diverse United Nations that is better prepared to serve all population groups. Read the statement (CEB/2019/3 - Annex I).