Ola Abualghaib

Dr. Ola Abualghaib is the Director of the UN Global Disability Fund (GDS), a global multi-partner trust fund GDF  established to accelerate the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) at the national level.  

The fund connects UN agencies, donors, partners, OPDs, civil society, service providers, governments, and actors from development, climate, and humanitarian sectors to achieve sustainable, systemic disability inclusion. 

Ola has led the GDF Secretariat since August 2019, developing its Strategic Operational Framework 2020-2025 and 2025-2030, positioning the Fund as a key global partner advancing disability inclusion, and leading the rebrand of the Fund. Under her direction, over $70 million has been invested in over 70 countries across five regions. 

An award-winning disability rights advocate with decades of experience, Ola has held leadership roles at several leading inclusive development and humanitarian organizations, including Co-charing the International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC) and the Disability Rights Fund. Ola previously served as Director for Global Influencing and Research at Leonard Cheshire Disability and has collaborated with the United Nations system to promote disability-inclusive policies and programs around the world. 

Ola was featured in Apolitical’s 2019 Gender Equality Top 100 list of most influential people in global policy. She holds a Ph.D. in Social Protection from the University of East Anglia, UK.