Under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Mired Raad Zeid Al-Hussein, Lord Chamberlain and President of the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (HCD), the Arab Regional Conference to Follow Up on the Outcomes of the Global Disability Summit (GDS) 2025 commenced today, Tuesday.
The Conference brings together ministers, senior officials, experts, and representatives of Arab and international organisations, with the aim of discussing mechanisms for implementing the commitments announced during the Global Disability Summit. The Conference also aims to strengthen regional and international cooperation in support of the rights of persons with disabilities.
The Conference is organised through cooperation and partnership between several entities. These include HCD, the League of Arab States – Department of Social Development and Policies, and the Jordanian Ministry of Social Development. It also supported by the International Disability Alliance (IDA) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), with support from CBM (Christoffel-Blindenmission).
In his opening address, His Royal Highness Prince Mired said the Conference offers an important opportunity to build on the outcomes of the Global Disability Summit 2025. He noted that it can help translate the commitments announced during the Summit, particularly the Amman–Berlin Declaration, into practical measures. These measures aim to advance the rights of persons with disabilities. He also expressed hope that the Conference would generate ideas and solutions to support implementation.
His Royal Highness emphasised that Arab countries have made tangible progress in advancing inclusion and rights. However, he noted that significant challenges remain. These include challenges in the fields of inclusive education, decent work, accessibility, and ending practices that isolate persons with disabilities from their communities. He stressed that addressing these challenges requires a strong commitment to national ownership. This includes strengthening legislation, developing clear strategies, and allocating the necessary resources. It also requires ensuring the participation of persons with disabilities and their representative organisations at all stages of planning and implementation. He added that disability issues must be placed among national priorities.
The Prince further noted that when these elements are in place, the international community and development partners can provide more effective support. Without genuine commitment to national ownership, achieving the desired results will remain difficult, he added.
He also stressed the importance of preserving the spirit of the Global Disability Summit. This requires translating commitments into tangible outcomes. It also involves raising ambition to achieve further transformative progress through sustained institutional action, sound planning, effective implementation, and continuous follow-up.
Prince Mired concluded by stating: “We have the capacity to perform better in ensuring that all citizens with disabilities fully enjoy and exercise their fundamental rights.”
For her part, Minister of Social Development Wafa Bani Mustafa, Chair of the 45th Session of the Council of Arab Ministers of Social Affairs, said the Conference represents an important regional milestone. It provides an opportunity to assess progress made since the Summit. It also supports building on its outcomes by developing implementation mechanisms. These mechanisms aim to strengthen cooperation among Arab countries and support inclusive legislation, policies, and services. Ultimately, they help translate commitments into practical results that promote the rights of persons with disabilities and their full participation in development.
She added that Jordan’s presidency of the 45th Session represents both a responsibility and an opportunity. It allows for strengthening joint Arab action in the social sector. This will be achieved through launching qualitative initiatives and activating partnerships with Arab, regional, and international organisations. It also includes promoting knowledge exchange among Member States and developing Arab indicators to measure progress in implementing the Second Arab Decade for Persons with Disabilities (2023–2032). She noted that these efforts will contribute to more inclusive and sustainable social policies and strengthen Arab cooperation across social development issues.
In addition, Minister Bani Mustafa affirmed that, under the directives of His Majesty King Abdullah II, Jordan continues to strengthen a human rights-based approach to disability. This is being done through ongoing development of legislation and policies, promotion of accessibility, and expansion of inclusive services. These efforts reinforce the Kingdom’s position as a regional model for protecting and promoting the rights of persons with disabilities.
She further explained that the Ministry of Social Development is continuing to develop the social services system. This approach focuses on empowerment and community inclusion. It includes increasing the number of early intervention units and inclusive day-care centres from 70 centres in 2026 to 128 centres by 2028. It also involves increasing family reintegration cases from 800 by the end of this year to 4,134 by 2028. These measures aim to promote independence and support the right of persons with disabilities to live within their families and communities. They are being implemented alongside the National Social Protection Strategy and its objectives related to care and social protection services.
She also noted that the Ministry continues to prioritise the social work profession. This includes expanding professional licensing and strengthening workforce capacities. It also involves establishing a regional reference centre for training and professional development. Additional efforts focus on promoting institutional excellence, advancing digital transformation, and enhancing performance management and service quality systems. These steps aim to improve institutional efficiency and service quality. They also position Jordan’s experience as a model for the wider Arab region.
Meanwhile, Dr Sima Bahous, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to supporting implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the Amman–Berlin Declaration. She also commended Jordan’s leadership in advancing the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities.
She stated that the rights of women and girls with disabilities are central to achieving equality and sustainable development. However, they continue to face barriers in education, employment, access to services, participation in public life, and decision-making.
Dr Bahous added that UN Women is working in cooperation with the League of Arab States, organisations of persons with disabilities, and Member States. The aim is to strengthen the mainstreaming of disability inclusion and gender equality across policies and programmes. Efforts also focus on promoting the economic empowerment of women with disabilities through decent work opportunities, entrepreneurship, and financial inclusion.
She stressed that the success of the Amman–Berlin Declaration will be measured by tangible improvements in the lives of women and girls with disabilities. It should not be judged solely by the commitments themselves. She emphasised that women and girls with disabilities must be equal partners in designing, implementing, and monitoring policies and programmes.
Dr Nawaf Kabbara, President of the International Disability Alliance (IDA) and President of the Arab Organization of Persons with Disabilities, said the Conference provides an important opportunity to assess progress. This includes reviewing implementation of the outcomes of the Global Disability Summit and the Amman Declaration. He stressed that the current phase requires translating commitments into clear national plans. These plans must be supported by adequate financing. He also highlighted the need to ensure effective participation of persons with disabilities and their representative organisations in decision-making.
For his part, Ambassador Tareq Al-Nabulsi, Director of the Department of Social Development and Policies at the League of Arab States, said the Conference offers an opportunity to link implementation of the Amman–Berlin Declaration with the Second Arab Decade for Persons with Disabilities (2023–2032). This linkage can contribute to transformative improvements in the lives of persons with disabilities. It also strengthens the implementation of Arab commitments in this field.
He noted that the growing number of persons with disabilities resulting from armed conflicts, particularly in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, highlights the urgent need to accelerate implementation. It also underscores the importance of strengthening Arab and international cooperation. He emphasised that partnerships among governments, organisations of persons with disabilities, United Nations entities, and the private sector are essential. These partnerships are a key pillar for achieving tangible results and delivering an actionable implementation plan.
The opening session also featured a documentary. It highlighted the role of the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in organising and co-hosting the Global Disability Summit 2025.
The first day of the Conference featured four main sessions. The first focused on Arab, United Nations, and international partnerships in implementing commitments from the Global Disability Summit 2025. The second examined the Amman–Berlin Declaration and mechanisms to support its implementation. The third explored ways to translate commitments into evidence-based action. It focused on situation analysis, data, and indicators. The fourth session addressed comprehensive social protection for persons with disabilities. It explored ways to strengthen and expand social protection systems in line with international commitments and Summit outcomes.
The Conference sessions brought together ministers, senior officials, experts, and representatives from multiple sectors. These included the League of Arab States, United Nations entities and agencies, international development organisations, government institutions, regional organisations, and organisations of persons with disabilities. Participants shared experiences, policies, and good practices. These discussions aim to accelerate implementation of commitments and strengthen regional cooperation to advance the rights of persons with disabilit