10/31/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/31/2024 13:04
Today, USAID announced the release of the new 2024 Nothing Without Us: USAID Disability Policy. There are more than 1.3 billion persons with disabilities around the world - 80 percent of whom live in low- and middle-income countries. Any issue that affects humans - climate change, hunger, disease - often disproportionately affects persons with disabilities. Intentional, sustainable, and meaningful inclusion of persons with disabilities in all areas of USAID's work is therefore no longer an option - it is essential to realize our potential and meet our development goals.
The 2024 Policy is a comprehensive update to the 1997 USAID Disability Policy in response to stakeholder feedback and changes in the 21st century. At its core, the Policy reinforces USAID's commitment to championing disability-inclusive development and the rights of persons with disabilities. The Policy, upheld by seven key operating principles, seeks to empower and elevate the lives of persons with disabilities by ensuring that USAID and our partners recognize, respect, value, meaningfully engage, include, and are intentional in supporting persons with disabilities and their representative organizations.
The Policy:
The Policy is available at: https://www.usaid.gov/inclusivedevelopment/disability-policy(link is external)