The United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy provides the foundation for sustainable andtransformative progress on disability inclusion through all pillars of the work of the United Nations.
Through the Strategy, the organizations of the United Nations system reaffirm that the full and completerealization of the human rights of all persons with disabilities is an inalienable, integral and indivisiblepart of all human rights and fundamental freedoms.
The Strategy is the result of a process launched by the Secretary-General in April 2018 to strengthensystem-wide accessibility for persons with disabilities and the mainstreaming of their rights. Itsdevelopment was informed by an extensive institutional review led by the Special Rapporteur on therights of persons with disabilities.
The Strategy includes a system-wide policy, an accountability framework and other implementationmodalities. The policy establishes the highest levels of commitment and a vision for the United Nationssystem on disability inclusion for the next decade and is aimed at creating an institutional framework forthe implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the 2030 Agenda forSustainable Development, among other international human rights instruments, as well as fordevelopment and humanitarian commitments.
The accountability framework includes two aligned components: (a) an entity accountability framework,with 15 common-system indicators, focused on four areas: leadership, strategic planning andmanagement; inclusiveness; programming; and organizational culture; and (b) a United Nations countryteam accountability scorecard on disability inclusion, which is currently under development and isexpected to be finalized in the second half of 2019. Timetables and technical guidance, as well as theallocation of the responsibilities required for the full implementation of the policy, are also included inthe framework.
Through the Strategy, the United Nations system will systematically embed the rights of persons withdisabilities into its work, both externally, through programming, and internally, and will build trust andconfidence among persons with disabilities to ensure that they are valued and their dignity and rights arerespected and that, in the workplace, they find an enabling environment in which to fully and effectivelyparticipate on an equal basis with others.
Mainstreaming a human rights-based approach to disability, in combination with targeted measures, willmake the concerns and experiences of persons with disabilities an integral dimension of the design,implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes in all political, economic andsocietal spheres so that persons with disabilities benefit equally. The ultimate goal is to achieve equality ofoutcomes and foster an inclusive culture within the United Nations system.