The Global Disability Summit (GDS) has published its updated White Paper, setting out the strategic purpose, governing logic and core principles that underpin the Summit and its cyclical model for advancing disability inclusion. As the institutional backbone of the GDS mechanism, the White Paper provides the framework for our joint efforts toward global disability inclusion
About the GDS White Paper
Disability inclusion is widely recognized in global frameworks, including the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD), yet recognition alone has not secured the sustained political attention, coordinated implementation and financing needed to turn those commitments into reality. The GDS was established to close this gap, not by creating new legal obligations, but by strengthening political alignment, accountability and the practical realization of rights.
The GDS is built around a cyclical design. Operating across multi-year cycles, the GDS links regional consultations, high-level political convening, strategic commitments and structured follow-up, converting legal recognition into coordinated political action and implementation. The Summit itself is a milestone within this cycle, not its endpoint.
The White Paper explains the problem the GDS is designed to solve, how it drives change relative to existing mechanisms, why it matters in the current global context, and how it contributes to advancing disability inclusion beyond what existing legal, technical or programmatic approaches can achieve on their own.
Availability
An Executive Summary of this report is also available in English. Arabic (AR), French (FR) and Spanish (SP) versions are available for both the full White Paper and the Executive Summary.
Promote the GDS: Champion disability inclusion in your own networks. Download the GDS leaflet, available in four languages, English (EN), Arabic (AR), French (FR) and Spanish (SP).
