WITH the Sustainable Development Goals – a core pillar of the 2030 Agenda agreed by UN member states in 2015 – drastically off-track and at risk of never being delivered, disability rights campaigners from around the world are calling on global leaders including the government of Zambia to seize a critical opportunity at the Second World Summit for Social Development to reverse course.
The Summit, taking place from 4 to 6 November 2025 in Doha, will convene heads of state, government ministers, as well as civil society and private sector leaders to reshape global efforts to eradicate poverty, provide decent work and accelerate social inclusion. However, disability rights campaigners warn that unless leaders urgently start to deliver concrete, disability inclusive commitments, 2030 will mark a collective failure of the promise to leave no one behind.
Despite people with disabilities representing an estimated 16% of the global population, and Zambia among 192 States Parties to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), many rights remain unrealised and the voices and needs of people with disabilities risk being marginalised in this important moment for international development policy.
Glenda Mulenga, Country Director Sightsavers Zambia, said: “We no longer have the time for words. We have treaties like the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, we have the SDGs with their promise to leave no one behind, and even the African Disability Protocol to address our unique situation on the continent, but people with disabilities continue to face systemic barriers in education, healthcare, housing, employment, and political participation. The summit must not be another talking shop, as there has been time for discussions. This is time for collective action.”
The Summit’s Political Declaration, a successor to the 1995 Copenhagen Declaration and which is currently being negotiated will form a key part of the global development agenda for years to come. It will also influence how the SDGs are implemented before the 2030 deadline. While recent revisions show positive recognition of the barriers experienced by people with disabilities, the focus now turns to what governments will do to put the political declaration into action with campaigners raising concerns that this critical opportunity for transformative change may be squandered.
With Zambia among the African Union member states yet to ratify the African Disability Protocol, the Equal World campaign is calling on the government of Zambian to commit to the ratifying and adopting the treaty which will benefit and protect persons with disabilities, including those with albinism, in Zambia.
Ian Banda, Director for Youths in Action for Disability Inclusion in Zambia said: “As a young person with a disability, I want to see leaders move beyond talking about inclusion to actually including us in the decisions that shape our futures. The World Social Summit for Development could be the turning point, but only if our voices are heard.”
The Summit represents a rare convergence of global attention on the very issues that most affect people with disabilities, including poverty, employment, and social inclusion. With five years until the SDGs deadline and current progress rates suggesting they will never be achieved, the international community cannot afford to miss this moment.
ENDS
Notes to Editor:
• Sightsavers is an international organisation working with governments and partners in more than 30 low and middle income countries across Africa and Asia to:
o tackle avoidable blindness and vision impairment, including cataract and refractive errors such as short-sightedness
o treat and eliminate neglected tropical diseases, and
o create a more equal world where people with disabilities can access health care, education and employment without discrimination.
Find out more at www.sightsavers.org
About Equal World
Equal World is Sightsavers’ campaign to ensure disability rights are upheld around the globe.
• Around the world, there are 1.3 billion people with disabilities. The vast majority live in low- and middle-income countries. More than half are women.
• Equal World advocates for equal opportunities and access to basic human rights including education, health care, employment, and political participation.
• The campaign calls for global leaders and decision-makers to prioritise disability inclusion, address stigma and discrimination, and uphold the rights of people with disabilities as enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the African Disability Protocol and other similar legal frameworks.
• The Second World Summit for Social Development takes place 4-6 November 2025 in Doha, Qatar. The Summit aims to accelerate progress on the three pillars of social development: poverty eradication, full and productive employment, and social inclusion
• The Equal World campaign is calling for the meaningful participation of (young) people with disabilities in this Summit as not just a matter of rights, but for achieving the Summit’s core objectives.
For more information on the Equal World campaign, visit https://www.campaigning.sightsavers.org
