Date: April 2-3, 2025
Location: Berlin, Germany
Co-hosts: Government of Germany, Government of Jordan, and the International Disability Alliance (IDA)
Theme: Accelerating Disability Inclusion and Strengthening International Cooperation

Overview
The Global Disability Summit 2025 (GDS 2025) convened in Berlin, Germany, from April 2nd to 3rd, 2025, marking the third such summit aimed at advancing the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities worldwide. Building upon the momentum of previous summits, GDS 2025 brought together over 4,500 participants from nearly 100 countries, including governments, multilateral agencies, organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs), civil society organizations, the private sector, and academia. The summit served as a crucial platform to highlight disability rights, foster dialogue, and secure concrete commitments towards a disability-inclusive future.
Key Highlights and Outcomes
The summit addressed various thematic areas critical for disability inclusion, including:
* Inclusion in Development Cooperation: A significant outcome was the adoption of the Amman-Berlin Declaration, with over 80 countries and organizations endorsing a commitment to ensuring that at least 15% of international development projects actively pursue disability inclusion as an objective. This "15% for the 15%" target signifies a shift towards measurable goals in development cooperation.
* Commitments and Pledges: The GDS 2025 witnessed over 800 commitments from various stakeholders. Notable pledges included:
* UNICEF: Committed to allocating 10% of its annual budget to children with disabilities by 2030 and supporting at least 50 countries in strengthening inclusive education systems. They also pledged to support access to assistive technology for at least five million persons, particularly children with disabilities.
* UK's FCDO: Announced a $60 million Assistive Technology Investment Vehicle under the AT2030 program.
* Disability Rights Fund (DRF)/Disability Rights Advocacy Fund (DRAF): Committed to allocating at least 50% of their grants as flexible, core funding to emergent or marginalized OPDs from the Global South.
* Light for the World: Committed to ensuring that at least 500,000 young women and men with disabilities from seven countries in Sub-Saharan Africa can access dignified and fulfilling work.
* Health Equity: A dedicated main session focused on "Health for all: Transforming health-systems and ensuring health equity for persons with disabilities." Discussions centered on the transformative shifts required to achieve health equity, putting the rights of persons with disabilities at the center of public health, addressing accessibility and affordability of healthcare, and ensuring the meaningful involvement of OPDs in public health shifts.
* Assistive Technology: The importance of assistive technology in promoting autonomy and participation was emphasized across various sessions. Commitments were made towards increasing access and affordability of assistive devices.
* Inclusive Education: Strengthening mainstream education systems to improve access and learning for children with disabilities was a key focus, with commitments made by UNICEF and other organizations.
* Economic Empowerment: Discussions and commitments addressed creating inclusive and accessible job markets, equipping persons with disabilities with necessary skills, and building employer capacity.
* Humanitarian Action: Ensuring the inclusion of persons with disabilities in humanitarian responses and disaster risk reduction efforts was highlighted.
* Meaningful Participation: The summit underscored the importance of the meaningful engagement of persons with disabilities and their representative organizations ("Nothing about us without us") in all aspects of policy-making and implementation.
Cross-cutting Themes
Several cross-cutting themes were evident throughout the summit:
* Data and Evidence: Emphasis was placed on the need for high-quality, comparable data on disability to improve disability-inclusive policymaking.
* Intersectionality: Recognizing the diverse experiences of persons with disabilities, including those based on gender, age, and other factors, was highlighted.
* Accountability and Monitoring: The importance of robust mechanisms for tracking and reviewing commitments was stressed to ensure that pledges translate into real change.
The Way Forward
The Global Disability Summit 2025 concluded with a renewed sense of urgency and commitment to accelerate disability inclusion. The Amman-Berlin Declaration and the numerous commitments made provide a roadmap for action in the coming years. However, participants emphasized that turning these promises into tangible impact requires relentless advocacy, leadership, collaboration, and robust accountability mechanisms. The focus now shifts towards the implementation of these commitments and ensuring that the rights and inclusion of the 1.3 billion persons with disabilities are realized globally.