The Partnership is a collaborative effort that brings together 13 UN Agencies, Governments, Organizations of People with Disabilities, Broader Civil Society and other partners to implement joint programmes on advancing the rights of persons with disabilities.
The Partnership operates through a Multi-Partner Trust Fund through which we channel donor’s contributions and implement projects.
The initial resources of the Partnership came primarily from a contribution of the Government of Australia. To date, besides Australia, the main donors to the Fund include Canada, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom, and the European Union. The Partnership’s Fund is open to other donors, including national governments, aid agencies and private sector.
The GDF operates at the country, regional and global level through joint programmes implemented by specialized UN agencies in collaboration with national counterparts, organizations of persons with disabilities and other stakeholders in order to bring integrated and comprehensive approaches to CRPD implementation challenges.
The country level joint programmes are selected through a competitive and independent experts-reviewed process according to the requirements established in the Strategic Operational Framework. When the funding round selection process is launched an invitation to submit an expression of interest is sent to all Resident Coordinators.
Only the Partnership Participating UN Organizations (PUNOs) can apply for funding. Nevertheless, proposals have to be developed jointly with the National Government and Organizations of Persons with Disabilities.
A “joint programme is a set of activities contained in a common work plan and related budget, involving two or more UN organizations and (sub-) national partners." It is the preferred mode of work if the development challenge to be tackled requires the collective expertise and action of different specialized agencies and national partners. The joint programme's governance structure is crucial for the success of its work. In this regard, the Partnership will rely on the critical and strategic coordination and executive role of the UN Resident Coordinator (RC), the highest representative of the UN in the country. For more information on Joint Programming click here.