Global Disability Summit 2025

2–3 Apr 2025 | Berlin, Germany

Wednesday, 2 April 2025 | 16:15 - 17:15

Main Event: Health for all: Transforming health-systems and ensuring health equity for persons with disabilities

Location:Hall 1.2Track:Main Program

Prioritizing health equity for persons with disabilities is essential for achieving universal health coverage (UHC) and the broader Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 targets. Without their full inclusion, global health priorities will remain unattainable. Advancing health equity not only improves individual well-being but also enables the broader participation of persons with disabilities in all aspects of society.

Persons with disabilities face significant health inequities, including higher disease risk, poorer health outcomes, and even earlier mortality. These disparities are largely driven by unfair and avoidable factors within and beyond the health sector. Barriers such as limited access to quality healthcare services, inaccessible physical environments, negative attitudes among healthcare providers, high costs of services, and pervasive societal stigma and discrimination contribute to this crisis.

This 2025 Global Disability Summit (GDS) plenary session presents a crucial opportunity for health and disability stakeholders to advance discussions on health equity for persons with disabilities, with persons with disabilities and their representative organizations at the center of political prioritization to strengthen health systems towards inclusion and equity for all.  

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6 speakers

  • Darryl BARRETT

    Technical Lead (Disability)

    World Health Organization

  • Janet Charchuk

    Self advocate and Motivational Speaker

    Down Syndrome International and Inclusion International

  • Samah Hamad

    Minister of Social Development

    Ministry of Social Development

  • Ian McFarlane

    Director, Division for External Relations, UNFPA

    United Nations Population Fund UNFPA

  • Hildegarde Naughton

    Minister for Disabilities

    Government of Ireland

  • Mukhtar Ahmad Malik

    State Minister of Health

    Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination

Location image

Session location Hall 1.2