Stakeholder Group of Persons with Disabilities / International Disability Alliance

During and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the SDGs will remain relevant only if governments reframe the Goals to be part of the fabric of people’s lives. For the last four years, governments have tried to translate the SDGs into national policies with limited outcomes. Despite strong efforts, persons with disabilities remain left behind in the implementation of the SDGs. The global pandemic has only exacerbated this, and as a result, persons with disabilities are the first to die. Still the SDGs can survive, and even thrive, if they meaningfully and universally address the critical situation faced by many communities globally, including persons with disabilities, just as the Goals emerged from stories at the grassroots level around the globe. Moving forward, the SDGs need to be re-focused into feasible and inclusive life-saving actions that can be and are carried out for people everywhere. During the side event experts will discuss concrete actions on how to save lives, empower and put the most vulnerable first in the implementation of all Goals in a post-pandemic world.