The Global Disability Summit is an event first created in 2017, with the goal of placing the improvement of the lives of people with disabilities at the center, with particular attention to the situation in countries of the Global South. This event takes place every three years and involves not only member states but also movements that advocate for the rights of people with disabilities. The ambitious goal is to directly involve people with disabilities in the debate (“Nothing about us without us”).

For the 2025 edition, the event was held in Germany in collaboration with Jordan. The program featured a wide range of guests and important panels aimed at encouraging attendees to reflect consciously on the topic.

Both Germany and Jordan promote the inclusion of people with disabilities: Germany offers programs targeted to the needs of users, while Jordan was one of the first countries to sign the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Svenjia Schulze, Development Minister, remarked "This summit can help to spread good ideas and thus, little by little, make the world more inclusive for persons with disabilities. As it is, inclusion is not just a desirable ideal, it is a fundamental human right".

Among the notable guests were Olaf Scholz (Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany), H.M. King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein (King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan), Amina Mohammed (Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations), as well as the President of IDA, Nawaf Kabbara.

The White Paper, drafted by the German and Jordanian governments in collaboration with the International Disability Alliance, outlines the objectives of the Global Disability Summit 2025. Central to these objectives is the active involvement of people with disabilities, together with the implementation of the practices discussed during the summit. Also, the UN CRPD served as the starting point for discussions on upholding the human rights of persons with disabilities.

The summit ended with the adoption of the Amman-Berlin-Declaration, which is a commitment by the countries and organisations to ensure that at least 15 per cent of their development projects promote the inclusion of the more than 15 per cent of persons worldwide with disabilities.

The GDS 2025 marked a significant step toward a more inclusive and equitable world for persons with disabilities, turning dialogue into lasting action.

• - https://www.globaldisabilitysummit.org/
• - https://www.globaldisabilitysummit.org/resource/amman-berlin-declaration/
• - https://www.bmz.de/en/news/press-releases/global-disability-summit-249674