Sightsavers’ Equal World campaign for disability rights has launched a petition calling on governments and global organisations to take action on disability-inclusive development at the Global Disability Summit being held in Norway in February 2022.

The Global Disability Summit, co-hosted by the governments of Norway and Ghana and the International Disability Alliance, aims to address the global needs of people with disabilities, and ensure they are integrated into policies and laws. It is the world’s biggest gathering of people with disabilities, governments, international agencies, charities and business leaders, and is a vital opportunity for governments and organisations everywhere to implement the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).

The Equal World petition calls on global decision-makers to attend the summit, consult and engage with organisations of people with disabilities, and make ambitious, achievable commitments to disability inclusion.

Tessa Murphy, Sightsavers’ head of campaigns, said: “The Global Disability Summit is a huge opportunity to address inequality and promote disability rights – but for that to happen, governments and global organisations need to not only attend, but ensure it results in strong, properly financed commitments to inclusion. It’s also vital that the voices of people with disabilities and their representative organisations are heard and taken into consideration ahead of, and during, the summit.”