The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has
conducted consultations with over 100 organizations within the global
disability movement from October to December 2021
“Our strategy is rooted in the core principles of freedom, individual agency and dignity. That is why we are determined to ensure that People with Disabilities have the same opportunity to thrive as anyone else – free from stigma, discrimination or exclusion. Its urgency has been heightened in the wake of the pandemic, which exacerbated the challenges they face around the world. Women and girls with disabilities have been hit especially hard. The UK has a strong track record of galvanizing global progress on disability rights,” remarked Liz Truss, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs.
In 2018, the UK started a new movement by co-hosting the first Global Disability Summit and in July 2021, the UK Government launched the National Disability Strategy recognizing the critical role of the UK as a global leader of disability rights internationally. “This strategy relies on the UK leading the fight for fairness beyond our shores: working with, listening to and answering the needs of people with disabilities across the globe. Including People with Disabilities is not just the right thing to do – it creates healthier, fairer and more prosperous societies for everyone to enjoy.”
Globally, people with disabilities represent over US$1.2 trillion in annual disposable income and with equal opportunity can contribute between three to seven per cent of GDP, she added. The FCDO’s Disability Inclusion and Rights Strategy uphold the UK’s ambitious approach for our work with, and for, people with disabilities. Looking to 2030, the strategy sets out how it will maintain and build on the significant progress made since the Global Disability Summit and Disability Inclusion Strategy in 2018. The FCDO takes a human rights-based approach to disability inclusion, underpinned by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). The UK will prioritize active and meaningful participation of People with Disabilities in work and step-up efforts to strengthen organizations of Persons with Disability. The UK’s 2030 vision on global disability rights will look to maintain and build on the great work achieved since 2018.