Disability, Equity, Justice (DEJ)

The DEJ Working Group will advance disability equity and disability inclusion within the G20 leaders’ commitments, thereby furthering the Agenda 2030 to leave no one behind. Our emphasis is to bring forward the voices of persons with disabilities, 1.3 billion people or 16% of the global population—the majority of whom live in G20 countries. The population of people living with disabilities, moreover, is rising, due to wars, conflicts, disasters, and aging.

To this end, in line with G20 leaders’ commitments and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD), the DEJ Working Group will bring together experiences and expertise of disabled and non-disabled civil society to advance a practical vision of economic development that is accessible, just, sustainable, and inclusive. We will emphasize equity and justice for all persons across disabilities and strata of society.

Attaining equity and justice requires persons with disabilities to have equal access to education, employment, livelihoods, and nation building. Accessible and affordable assistive devices and technologies and access to physical, digital, and financial infrastructure is important to their productivity. Lessons learnt from the pandemic include building a robust health infrastructure and inclusive response mechanisms that meet the needs of persons with disabilities

It is imperative for the G20 countries to tackle barriers rooted in stigma and systemic inaccessibility. Research shows that lack of meaningful participation and inclusion among persons with disabilities costs countries up to 7% of their GDP. Women with disabilities and others facing multiple forms of discrimination are at greater risk of violence and exclusion that undermines their meaningful participation in economic, social, and political arenas. This working group will develop recommendations with relevance across disabilities to advance disability equity and inclusion through inclusive and accessible planning, implementation, and systems change.