BAMRO

International Day of Persons with Disabilities, 3 December

2024 Theme: Amplifying the leadership of persons with disabilities for an inclusive and sustainable future
The leadership of persons with disabilities is epitomised by the global disability rights movement’s slogan “Nothing About Us Without Us”. It connotes the basic requirements of participation, representation and inclusion and calls for persons with disabilities to actively shape the conditions of their lives.

One of the priorities of the global disability agenda is to advance the agency and leadership of persons with disabilities. In the past decades, persons with disabilities and organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) have already championed for the changes in their communities, and have been leading many of the community-led initiatives not only to advance their own rights, and wellbeing but also promoting inclusive development for instance enabling universal access to basic services by all; they have done so by taking both targeted and mainstreaming approaches to disability inclusion through, among others, consultation, data collection and analysis, and support with advocacy and accountability efforts.

The observance of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2024 (IDPD 2024) takes place against the backdrop of pivotal global developments, from the Summit of the Future to the upcoming Second World Summit for Social Development. These key global Summits will complement one another in providing a continuous roadmap toward disability-inclusive and sustainable peace and development. By emphasising this complementarity, the theme chosen for the observance in 2024 aims to underscore the importance of leveraging the leadership of persons with disabilities to ensure disability-inclusive and sustainable peace and development for all.

The United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy
When launching the United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy in June 2019, the Secretary-General stated that the United Nations should lead by example and raise the Organization’s standards and performance on disability inclusion—across all pillars of work, from headquarters to the field.

The United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy provides the foundation for sustainable and transformative progress on disability inclusion through all pillars of the work of the United Nations. Through the Strategy, the United Nations system reaffirms that the full and complete realization of the human rights of all persons with disabilities is an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of all human rights and fundamental freedoms.

In 2024, the Secretary-General submitted his fifth report on disability inclusion in the UN system. It reflects on the progress made to advance disability inclusion, highlights new or continuing challenges and opportunities presented through the Strategy’s implementation, and emphasizes key areas of focus needed to continue mobilizing the system towards an inclusive, accessible and sustainable world for all.

Commemorative Event: 3 December 2024

The commemorative event to be held at the UN Headquarters in New York to mark this year’s IDPD will consist of an in-person opening segment and a virtual panel.