UNICEF’s fight for equality and inclusion
UNICEF believes that every child, regardless of ability, has the right to reach their full potential.
Children with disabilities are among the most marginalized and excluded groups and often face many challenges in realizing their human rights. There are 240 million children with disabilities in the world. Half of them are not in school. Many are hidden by their families, abandoned by their governments and invisible.
In low-income countries, 95 per cent of children with disabilities do not have access to wheelchairs, hearing aids, glasses or other assistive technology.
UNICEF is guided by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and in line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and its disability inclusion policies and strategies, to include children with disabilities in all aspects of its programming.
The goal is to ensure every child has the support they need to be healthy, educated, respected and protected.
Removing Barriers so Children Can Thrive
UNICEF works with governments to implement comprehensive programmes and services to improve the social inclusion of children with disabilities.
Through market shaping and procurement mechanisms, UNICEF is integrating supplies into its regular programming, rapidly scaling up provision of assistive devices and products, reaching hundreds of thousands of children with disabilities around the world.
In 2022, UNICEF’s disability-inclusive development and humanitarian programmes reached 4.5 million children with disabilities in 142 countries. UNICEF and partners remain committed to eliminating stigma and promoting inclusion in society for children with disabilities and their families.
The cost of elimination
A growing body of research suggests that the costs of elimination are high. Fortunately, there is evidence that there are effective ways to mitigate these costs.
And because children (and adults) with disabilities are not included in official statistics, they often remain politically and socially ‘invisible’, increasing their feelings of marginalisation and making them more vulnerable to rights violations.
UNICEF is investing in systems that generate disaggregated and comparable data, and collect and monitor evidence on the participation of children with disabilities. To learn more, read our January 2022 report, “Seen, Counted, Included: Using Data to Reveal the Well-Being of Children with Disabilities.”
Special Olympics and UNICEF USA Partnership
UNICEF U.S. partnered with Special Olympics in 2015 to expand opportunities for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities, promote their participation and inclusion in society, and empower communities to learn and benefit from embracing differences. Learn more here.