From April 2–3, Berlin became the global center for disability rights as the third Global Disability Summit (GDS) 2025 convened over 4,500 participants from more than 100 countries, including representatives from the European Disability Forum (EDF).
Co-hosted by the International Disability Alliance (IDA), the Government of Germany, and the Government of Jordan, the Summit marked a pivotal moment for advancing disability rights and promoting disability-inclusive international cooperation and humanitarian action.
One of the key outcomes of the GDS was the “Amman-Berlin Declaration on Global Disability Inclusion,” now endorsed by more than 90 stakeholders. In addition, the Summit generated over 800 new commitments from governments, development agencies, and civil society, reaffirming a collective drive to uphold and advance the rights of persons with disabilities worldwide.
What happened at GDS2025: Highlights
Regional Pre-Summits
In the lead-up to GDS2025, a series of Regional Pre-Summits helped shape the agenda and set priorities for the global gathering. From Nairobi to Bangkok, Amman to Rio de Janeiro, these events mobilised commitments and brought forward diverse regional perspectives on disability-inclusive international cooperation and humanitarian action. EDF co-hosted the European Regional Disability Summit in Berlin in December 2024. Outcome documents from all regions are available on the GDS2025 website.
Civil Society Forum (CSF)
Held just before the Summit, the CSF gave space for the disability community, especially Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) to align priorities and amplify their voice on inclusive international cooperation.EDF was a part of the Civil Society Reference Group, who helped organise this year’s CSF. The Forum culminated in the adoption of the Civil Society Declaration. You can watch the recording of the event on the GDS2025 webpage.
Main GDS2025 Sessions
The two-day Summit opened with key messages from global leaders and disability advocates.
EDF Executive Committee Member Nadia Hadad represented the European Regional Disability Summit, delivering a powerful call to action:
If we believe in meaningful participation, we must prove it, not just in policy documents, but in action. Not just within Europe, but globally. GDS2025 is our moment to move from promises to progress. An inclusive world doesn’t happen by chance it happens by choice.
Other notable speakers on Day 1 included:
- King Abdullah II of Jordan: Called for stronger global protection for persons with disabilities, especially in conflict zones.
- Charlotte Young, IDA Youth Ambassador: Presented the Youth Call to Action.
Day 2 explored a wide range of issues from financing inclusion to building an accessible digital future. A key session on Disability-Inclusive Practices for Disasters and Conflicts highlighted how persons with disabilities are disproportionately impacted by crises. Speakers stressed the urgency of inclusive responses in active conflict zones, including Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan.
Hans Das, Deputy Director-General at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, joined the humanitarian action panel. He emphasised the European Union’s (EU’s) role as one of the world’s largest humanitarian donors and the need to prioritise disability inclusion in all funding. He also underscored the importance of partnering with OPDs, like EDF, to ensure inclusive practices are embedded across EU humanitarian work.
You can watch the recording of the main sessions on the GDS2025 webpage.
Side Events, Networking & Booths
Beyond the main sessions, GDS2025 offered spaces to learn more and connect.
EDF International Cooperation Manager, Marion Steff, participated in a panel on advancing disability-inclusive development through intensified parliamentary engagement and parliamentary networks. Marion discussed the importance of the Disability Intergroup, a key ally in advocating for and advancing the rights of persons with disabilities across Europe through the European Parliament.
Another side event included the development of accessibility in Ukraine. Organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the event brought together international organisations, representatives of the Ukrainian authorities and OPDs. Uliana Pcholkina, League of the Strong (EDF member) Chairwoman, participated in the event and emphasised the importance of meaningful participation of people with disabilities in all reforms in the country.
Information booths hosted by OPDs like the Blind Youth Association of Nepal, and global partners like the Global Disability Fund also gave attendees a chance to exchange ideas and build partnerships. Fireside chats and evening gatherings kept the momentum going.
Why GDS matters: Our reflections
EDF played an active role throughout the GDS2025 journey. Our contributions ran deep and took many forms:
- Launched an online survey to gather input from organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) and persons with disabilities on the most urgent priorities for international cooperation and humanitarian action.
- Developed and shared toolkits to support OPDs’ advocacy and engagement.
- Hosted virtual meetings that built momentum across Europe and Central Asia.
- Advocated for EU-level commitments to GDS2025, including prioritising disability-inclusion in EU funding, developing Disability Action Plan for EU External Action and ensuring meaningful participation of Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs).
As this chapter closes, it feels less like an ending and more like the beginning of a new phase, because the work continues.
GDS2025 was never just a two-day event. It is part of a growing global movement to uphold the rights of persons with disabilities and push for inclusive development and humanitarian action. It offers a platform, but also a mechanism, to keep this work going. Now comes the harder part: turning those promises into practice. Across all sectors, governments, international organisations, private companies, and civil society, including here in Europe, we must do better. Inclusion must be more than a value we express; it must be a standard we deliver.
GDS2025 gave us the space to organise and learn. Now we act.
What’s next: GDS2025 outcomes
1. The Amman-Berlin Declaration
One of the outcomes of GDS2025 was the launch of the Amman-Berlin Declaration on Global Disability Inclusion. The Declaration includes two key targets related to international development cooperation:
- Inclusive by Design: All international development programmes should actively promote inclusion and non-discrimination, making a positive contribution to equality and doing no harm.
- “15 for 15” Target: At least 15 percent of country-level international development programmes should explicitly pursue disability inclusion as a core objective—reflecting the estimated 15 percent of the global population with disabilities.
The European Commission, the Council of Europe Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the European Investment Bank along with several European countries endorsed the Declaration. A full list of endorsements is available on the GDS2025 website.
The full Declaration is available in English, Spanish, French, Russian, and Arabic. Easy-read versions are available in English and Arabic.
2. Global Inclusion Report
Also launched at GDS2025, the Global Disability Inclusion Report: Accelerating Disability Inclusion in a Changing and Diverse World offers a roadmap for future action in development and humanitarian efforts.,healthcare, employment, social protection, and humanitarian response.
The full report is available to read online.
3. GDS2025 Commitments
Central to GDS2025 is the Commitments Mechanism, a platform for collecting and sharing concrete, actionable commitments to disability inclusion. During GDS2025, it was announced that more than 800 commitments were submitted from governments, OPDs, the private sector, and international organisations. A few highlights from these commitments shared during the Summit include:
- UNICEF commits to allocating 10% of its annual budget to children with disabilities by 2030, enhancing data collection and expanding inclusive education and protection systems in 50 countries.
- Germany will invest €10 million to establish the Resilient and Inclusive Cities Hub and a further €5 million in inclusive education in partnership with Jordan.
All commitments will soon be published on the GDS Commitments Portal. EDF will continue to monitor the portal closely and share updates as further commitments, particularly from European countries and the EU, once they are published.
About the GDS
The Global Disability Summit (GDS) is a global platform dedicated to advancing the rights of persons with disabilities. Launched in 2017, GDS convenes governments, multilateral agencies, donors, the private sector, and civil society to discuss and drive disability-inclusive development and humanitarian action.
To promote the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and ensure disability inclusion is central to development cooperation and humanitarian responses. GDS 2025 aligns with the 2030 Agenda’s ambition of leaving no one behind, strengthening global efforts to foster a truly inclusive world.
Despite global frameworks, disability inclusion is still under-prioritised. The Global Disability Summit (GDS) is a key platform to shift this, reminding the world that inclusion is a fundamental human right, not charity.
Photo credit: Anna Spindelndreier for the Global Disability Summit 2025.