Global Report on Health Equity for Persons with Disabilities

This report aims to make health equity for persons with disabilities a global health priority. It is developed by WHO in close consultation with Member States, relevant international organizations and stakeholders, including representative organizations of persons with disabilities. It is based on the best available evidence and includes actions and recommendations to achieve the highest attainable standard of health for persons with disabilities.

This Global Report is needed to provide an updated overview and evidence-based recommendations on how to achieve health equity for persons with disabilities. It contributes to the objectives of the United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy (UNDIS) by focusing on disability inclusion in the health sector. Many of the health challenges faced by persons with disabilities have also been exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, which highlights the need to act now.

No, this Global Report is not an update of the World Report on Disability (2011). The World Report on Disability, published in 2011, addressed disability across many sectors, such as education, health, work and employment. This new Global Report focuses on the health sector and provides specific recommendations related to health equity of persons with disabilities.

This Global Report is primarily aimed at decision-makers in the health sector​, such as government, service providers, bilateral donors, and other development and health sector partners​. This Global Report is also important for broader health and disability actors, such as organizations of persons with disabilities, other civil society organizations and academic partners, who will play a fundamental role in its dissemination, implementation and impact.

Yes, this Global Report has been developed in collaboration with persons with disabilities and their representative organizations, including at international, regional and country levels. A variety of other stakeholders have also been consulted, such as civil society organizations, academic partners, health service providers, and other development partners.  In total, the World Health Organization organized 31 consultations, and over 1,300 people participated. Accessibility features were provided throughout the consultation process, such as sign language interpretation, captioning, and an easy-read version of the draft report was made available for review and comment.

This Global Report is informed by a series of literature reviews and consultations with governments and other health sector partners, designed to capture the latest, most relevant and impactful evidence. This process started in mid-2021 and was finalized in late 2022. Over 19,000 publications and associated documents were reviewed, with over 700 of these being included in the final report. The report draft was consulted on by Member States and relevant stakeholders in all six WHO regions, and input was received from global and country-level consultations.

The report will be launched on Friday 2 December 2022 to commemorate International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2022. It will be a hybrid event: a face-to-face session will be livestreamed from WHO’s Headquarters (Geneva, Switzerland). Find out more information and register here.

The Global Report will be available for download on the WHO website, in the six official UN languages as well as an easy-read version. Technical products will be produced to share key information and recommendations, technical briefs, and infographics. Some countries, UN entities and civil society organizations may conduct briefings and policy dialogues on the report, to further share key information and recommendations.

A national strategic planning toolkit is being developed to support countries to implement the recommendations proposed in this Global Report. The World Health Organization will pilot this Guide for Action in close collaboration with selected Member States in 2023, before publishing the toolkit in 2024.

Please visit our main webpage on the WHO Global Report on Health Equity for Persons with Disabilities to find out more information. Contact WHO via email if you have further questions: disability@who.int.