Global Disability Summit 2025: Sightsavers calls for stronger commitment to inclusion
Sightsavers is attending the 2025 Global Disability Summit (GDS) to call for increased financing for disability inclusion, clear accountability and stronger commitments to targeting inequality.
Sightsavers will host two events and two exhibition spaces at the event, which takes place in Berlin on 2-3 April, calling on attendees to join us in targeting inequality.
The Global Disability Summit was founded in 2017, and aims to improve the lives of people with disabilities by driving international action on disability inclusion.
The 2025 summit is the third event and will be co-hosted by the governments of Germany and Jordan, alongside the International Disability Alliance. It will bring together governments, organisations of people with disabilities, multilateral agencies, private organisations and civil society to deliver tangible commitments that improve equality and inclusion.
Join us at the summit
Sightsavers will be hosting two events and two exhibition booths in Berlin on 2-3 April.
Find our events and booths
Thanks to donors and partners, Sightsavers and the Inclusive Futures consortium have reached more than 4 million people with disabilities across Africa and Asia.
We have also supported nearly 16 million people without disabilities through training and awareness. But both organisations agree that much more needs to be done.
Sightsavers says that if governments fail to act now, the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals will slip out of reach, leaving hundreds of millions of people with disabilities behind.
They will be denied education, healthcare, voting rights and economic opportunities, deepening poverty and inequality.
How can I help to build an inclusive future?
- Learn what Sightsavers does and how our work achieves the Sustainable Development Goals
- Donate today to help fund our work on disability inclusion
- Join our Equal World campaign for disability rights
Join us at the summit
Event 1: Closing the gap – six principles for inclusive development
When? Wednesday 2 April, 10.30-11.30am
Where? Hall 4.2
Inclusive Futures, funded by UK aid and led by Sightsavers and the International Disability Alliance, has developed six principles for inclusive development. Moderated by BBC journalist Paul Carter, this event will feature female OPD leaders from the Global South, consortium partners, and the UK government, exploring how donors, governments, and NGOs can adopt these principles to drive progress and ensure no one is left behind.
Event 2: ‘Youth Leadership Now’ – A call to action
When? Thursday 3 April, 10.30-11.30am
Where? Hall 7.3
Sightsavers’ Equal World campaign, in partnership with UNICEF and the International Disability Alliance, is platforming young people with disabilities to demand their rights and meaningful engagement in decision-making. The event will also showcase successful government collaborations with young people with disabilities, demonstrating how inclusion drives real change.
Booth 1: Target inequality – Sightsavers
When? 1-3 April, 8.30am-5.30pm
Where? B5
Disability rights are human rights — so why can’t millions of people with disabilities access theirs? Visit our exhibition booth to meet our team and discover how you can take action through our campaigns and programmes to target inequality and build a more equal world. While you’re at our booth, grab a ‘Disability rights are human rights’ badge, pick up the latest edition of Changing Times newspaper —featuring powerful stories from young disability rights activists — and access our flagship ‘Equal World?’ film. Join us in making change happen.
Booth 2: This is what inclusion looks like – Inclusive Futures
When? 1-3 April, 8.30am-5.30pm
Where? A4
In the five countries where Inclusive Futures works, there are now more children with disabilities learning at school, more people with disabilities earning a living, and more people accessing the health care they need and living their lives free from discrimination. This is what inclusion looks like.
Visit our booth to connect with our consortium and OPD partners, explore key insights from our programme and access memorable stories with our collection of postcards, audio content and videos. You can also pledge your support to future generations by signing our open letter on inclusive education and be part of the movement for change. Together, we can close the gap, target inequality and build a more equal world.
See how disability inclusion can make a difference
Read our story
Sightsavers employee awarded place on WHO mentorship scheme
Programme manager Samantha Nyathi will receive training, guidance and networking opportunities through the World Health Organization programme.
Sightsavers at the CIES education conference 2025
We attended the conference in Chicago on 22-26 March to share Sightsavers’ expertise, engage with the education community and explore how we can help to transform inclusive education.
Sightsavers’ IT Bridge Academy wins top-performing academy award
The IT Bridge Academy, which supports young people with disabilities to train for a career in IT, received the accolade from technology company Cisco.
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