Realising the rights of people with disabilities in Africa

Context

An estimated 16 per cent of the world’s population live with a disability. However, their interests receive little consideration.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) has therefore been regulating the international rights and participation of people with disabilities since 2008. The African Union (AU) Disability Protocol has in addition been in place on the African continent since 2024.

Countries are required to implement the laws by working together with governmental and non-governmental partners.

Objective

People with disabilities in Africa are participating in socio-economic, political and societal development. They have equal access to information, services, ressources and the build environment.

Approach

The project advises and allocates funding to umbrella organisations that bring together representative organisations and improve the participation of people with disabilities in development. This includes the African Disability Forum.

The project has a focus on empowering women, girls and young people with disabilities to participate in strategic, political and socio-economic processes, for example through networking, events and training.

The project also supports the African Union Commission and its institutions in preparing and implementing guidelines, strategies and programmes. Data collection is also being expanded to include information on the situations of people with disabilities. As part of this, an African expert is seconded to the African Union Commission.

The project also supports representatives of civil society and the African Union with participation in the 2025 Global Disability Summit (GDS) in Berlin.

Last update: March 2025