Theme 2025: Fostering disability inclusive societies for advancing social progress
Across all regions, persons with disabilities and their households face challenges and barriers in the attainment of social development objectives:
- They are more likely to live in poverty;
- They continue to face discrimination in employment, receiving lower wages and being overrepresented in the informal sector;
- Social protection systems are uneven in coverage and inadequate when considering extra disability-related costs, frequently excluding persons with disabilities in the informal sector; and,
- Many persons with disabilities’ experiences within care and support systems continue to be marked by the denial of their dignity, autonomy and agency.
The three core themes of social development, i.e. poverty eradication; promotion of full and productive employment and decent work for all; and social integration, are interrelated, mutually reinforcing and require an enabling environment so as to be achieved simultaneously. The inclusion of persons with disabilities as both agents and beneficiaries of social development is indispensable. Disability inclusion in all aspects of social, economic, cultural and political life is therefore an imperative.
The theme of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2025, “Fostering disability inclusive societies for advancing social progress”, builds on the reaffirmed commitment of world leaders gathered at the Second World Summit for Social Development to build a more just, inclusive, equitable and sustainable world and their understanding that advancing progress on social development depends on, and indeed necessitates, the inclusion of all segments of society.
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.
n 2025, the Secretary-General submitted his sixth report on disability inclusion in the UN system. Building on six years of implementation, this year’s system-wide report reflects on the progress made to advance disability inclusion between 2019 to 2024, celebrates key achievements, and outlines priorities for accelerating system-wide change. The recommendations lay out the Secretary-General’s vision for the future of UNDIS, setting a higher standard and inspiring transformative, system-wide progress on disability inclusion.
Commemorative Event: 3 December 2025
The commemorative event will take place virtually from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. (EST) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, and will bring together Member States, UN leaders, disability advocates and youth.
10:00-10:30am: Opening Segment
The opening segment will explore ways of achieving disability inclusive societies for advancing social progress through the framework of the Doha Political Declaration. Speakers will discuss how the Doha Political Declaration integrates disability inclusion and how it can assist Member States, as a framework replete with practical tools and solutions, to achieve social development for, with and by persons with disabilities.
10:30am-11:30am: Panel Discussion
The online panel discussion will focus on key areas of disability inclusion and discuss enabling factors that are critical to achieving disability inclusion, thereby contributing to advancing progress in social development.
The following key points will structure the discussion and guide panellists when sharing their presentations and insights:
- Highlighting promising practices, practical examples and case studies;
- How the Doha Political Declaration and the Programme of Action for Social Development can be harnessed and utilised to accelerate momentum and progress towards disability inclusive societies and social progress; and
- Outlook on future developments and challenges to fostering disability inclusion as a means of advancing social progress and development.
For more information on the event, please read the Concept note.
Did you know?
- An estimated 1.3 billion people experience significant disability. This represents 16% of the world’s population, or 1 in 6 of us.
- Some persons with disabilities die up to 20 years earlier than those without disabilities.
- Persons with disabilities have twice the risk of developing conditions such as depression, asthma, diabetes, stroke, obesity or poor oral health.
- Health inequities arise from unfair conditions faced by persons with disabilities, including stigma, discrimination, poverty, exclusion from education and employment, and barriers faced in the health system itself.
Source: WHO Factsheet
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Nyle Di Marco, New York Times bestselling author, producer, advocate, and actor talks about disabilities and Human Rights.
