75 years of advancing health equity for persons with disabilities
Advancing health equity for persons with disabilities has been integral to WHO’s mission since its establishment in 1948, but what we’ve done to achieve this goal has been transformed over time. To mark WHO’s 75th anniversary, we share our latest work on disability, including activities and milestones.
Key facts
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We must understand disability to better address the health needs of persons with disabilities and achieve health equity.
Transforming what we do
WHO is committed to advance health equity for persons with disabilities as part of efforts to tackle global health priorities, and to transform WHO into a more diverse and inclusive organization. These efforts are guided by the WHA74.8 resolution, the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy (UNDIS) and the WHO Policy on Disability.
Countries and stakeholders
WHO collaborates closely with countries and stakeholders around the world to advance health equity for persons with disabilities. Upon request from Member States through a landmark resolution at the World Health Assembly in 2021, WHO launched the Global report on health equity for persons with disabilities to share evidence and recommendations for implementation at country-level to drive this agenda. This report and other related activities are developed with the close involvement of persons with disabilities, their representative organizations, and other key stakeholders.
WHO programmes
Advancing health equity for persons with disabilities is relevant to everything that we do. WHO recognizes that sustainable and transformative progress on disability inclusion needs to be embedded across all of its programmes. Persons with disabilities have the same right to health as everyone else, including being able to find a doctor to treat an illness, to find information about how to avoid contracting communicable diseases, to access cancer screening, or to see a dentist for a tooth ache. WHO is working hard to integrate disability across all programmatic areas to ensure our efforts include persons with disabilities. See for example the WHO guidelines on physical activity which includes recommendations for persons with disabilities.
WHO workforce
WHO is proactively working to create an inclusive workplace where the whole workforce, including colleagues with disabilities can thrive: from developing accessible recruitment processes to ensuring reasonable accommodations are available so that persons with disabilities can enjoy equal opportunities. Progress is driven and monitored through the UNDIS implementation and reporting mechanisms. For any questions, contact disability@who.int.
Milestones
Together, we can make health equity for persons with disabilities a reality.
Act now to support disability inclusion.