Despite growing recognition of the rights of persons with disabilities, funding for disability inclusion remains critically insufficient. According to the 2024 UN Disability and Development Report, published by UNDESA, most areas of international cooperation (such as health, education, and crisis response) continue to lack dedicated resources for disability inclusion. Alarmingly, only 5% of SDG targets are on track for persons with disabilities, underscoring the urgent need for increased and sustained investment.
To address this challenge, the UN Global Disability Fund (GDF), the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) and the International Disability Alliance (IDA) are co-hosting the high-level event Financing for Development: Opportunities to accelerate funding for disability inclusion. Sponsored by the governments of Australia, Germany, Ireland, Jordan and Spain, the event will bring together global stakeholders to explore mechanisms for scaling up financing for disability inclusion.
The event will take place on Thursday, 12 June, from 3:00 to 4:15 PM at Conference Room 11 in the United Nations Headquarters, New York. It will provide a platform for dialogue and concrete action.
The discussion is timely. 2025 presents several pivotal moments, including the 3rd Global Disability Summit held in Berlin, which culminated in the launch of the Amman-Berlin Declaration which calls for at least 15% of country-level international development programmes to prioritize disability inclusion. In June, the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) in Seville presents another critical opportunity to embed disability into the global financing agenda. These milestones lead up to the 2nd World Summit for Social Development in Doha in November, positioning 2025 as a transformative year for inclusive development.
This event will feature insights from global leaders and organizations, drawing on evidence from recent flagship reports by UNDESA and UNICEF. Panelists will reflect on lessons learned, identify funding opportunities, and propose strategies to strengthen monitoring and accountability of disability inclusion in development cooperation.
Join us for this critical discussion:
To register fill in this form: https://forms.office.com/e/wUnxt4w2Ly
Closed captions and international sign language interpretation will be provided.