April 10, 2025 | 10:20 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The third Global Disability Summit was concluded on Thursday, April 3, 2025 in Berlin with 'real commitments' to advance disability inclusion. People with disabilities, who make up 15 percent of the global population or around 1.3 billion people, are often overlooked in development projects.
In response to this gap and the dwindling support for inclusion, the Global Disability Summit 2025 produced a joint agreement to ensure that 15 percent of development projects at the national level focus on disability inclusion. This target is outlined in the Amman-Berlin Declaration, which has been adopted by more than 80 countries and organizations.
Throughout the conference, more than 800 commitments were made by governments, private sector organizations, and development actors to improve accessibility and meaningful participation for people with disabilities. Co-organized by the Ministry of Development of Germany, Jordan, and the International Disability Alliance (IDA), the summit brought together 4,500 participants from nearly 100 countries, including people with disabilities, government representatives, and civil society leaders.
Over more than 60 sessions, discussions focused on strengthening the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and ensuring that commitments lead to actionable changes.
At the opening ceremony, German Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz reaffirmed Germany's commitment to disability inclusion, especially at a time when countries are cutting their inclusion funding. The Chancellor committed to the 15 percent target and announced a joint initiative on inclusive education with Jordan.
His Majesty King Abdullah called for sustained commitments and actions to ensure that all individuals can live with dignity, happiness, and hope, emphasizing that inclusion is not just about accessibility, but also about recognizing the inherent potential in every human being and creating an environment where everyone can contribute, the statement said.
President of IDA Nawaf Kabbara emphasized that true disability inclusion cannot be achieved unless Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) are present at the negotiating table when funding decisions are made, stressing that inclusion must be done with OPDs, not for OPDs.
The Amman-Berlin Declaration sets a target that at least 15 percent of development projects are specifically designed to promote disability inclusion. "Currently, only 6 percent of development projects directly contribute to inclusion objectives. Development policies can only succeed if all stakeholders collaborate," said German Minister of Development Svenja Schulze as the host country in the closing of GDS 2025, as quoted from the Jordan Times, Monday, April 7, 2025.
Svenja Schulze also emphasized that the Amman-Berlin Declaration is a global commitment, not just promises from donor countries. "True inclusion not only benefits 15 percent of people with disabilities, but the entire society," she said.
Several key initiatives were also agreed upon at the summit. The Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office of the United Kingdom committed to launching the Assistive Technology 2030 Investment Vehicle through the AT2030 program, which aims to raise US$60 million by 2026, while also becoming one of the co-chairs of the Global Action Network for nurturing inclusive partnerships.
UNICEF committed to allocate 10 percent of its annual budget for children with disabilities by 2030, expanding data collection, and enhancing inclusive education and protection systems in 50 countries.
The International Disability Alliance (IDA) pledged to strengthen OPDs in more than 100 countries to influence policies, launch leadership programs for 80 young people with disabilities, and partner with the UN Global Disability Fund to advance the implementation of CRPD in 50 countries.
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