It has been one year now since more than 4,500 people from 160 countries gathered in Berlin to discuss inclusion in international development cooperation at the 3rd Global Disability Summit (GDS2025).
This landmark event – jointly implemented by the German Government, the Kingdom of Jordan and the International Disability Alliance (IDA) – was a remarkable experience: Not only due to its impressive speakers and initiatives, its diversity and accessibility, but also due to its results: Key players including governments, civil society, the private sector, and multilateral organizations, submitted more than 820 commitments towards improving disability inclusion, all of which contained concrete and quantifiable measures.
The Amman-Berlin Declaration
An even more significant political outcome, however, was the adoption of the Amman-Berlin Declaration on Global Disability Inclusion (ABD), which sets, for the first time, specific targets for disability inclusion in international development cooperation. Given that 92 countries and organisations had officially endorsed the ABD by the end of the summit, this can certainly be described as a milestone in advancing the rights of persons with disabilities worldwide. The Declaration was celebrated in a sparkling summit finale.
The main targets:
to consider disability inclusion for every international development programme and
to pursue disability inclusion as an objective for 15% of international development programmes being implemented at the country level.
Yet, what has happened since then? The expectations were high, but so was the awareness that this must not end in empty promises. So let us take a look back at what has happened over the last twelve months and look ahead at what is still to come:
More supporters and first steps of implementation
As of June 2026, the number of countries that officially expressed support for the ABD rose to 103 (49 of which are Official Development Assistance, ODA recipient countries). In other words, even after the Summit, a further 11 endorsements joined the list, most recently Malawi in March 2026. The majority of these countries have already taken initial steps towards implementation; some are progressing even more rapidly, leading implementation with great competence and eagerness, e.g., Cambodia (see below), Jordan, and Kenya.
Trainings and tailor-made support
More than 150 representatives from around 40 governments and organisations have been trained to date to implement the Declaration. These trainings are being offered by the newly established Joint Helpdesk (JHD), a collaborative undertaking of GIZ, UNICEF, the UN Global Disability Fund and IDA. The JHD supports the implementation of the Declaration through capacity building, tailored advisory services, and data collection and analysis.
Example: Cambodia
Cambodia can be seen in several ways as a pioneer country and a best-case example of the implementation of the ABD. Some of their activities in this first year were institutional changes, capacity-building measures, and adjustments to IT systems. Also, thanks to improvements in their ability to steer their development project portfolios, existing data gaps are already beginning to close. With 13.6% of development programmes in Cambodia having inclusion as one of their objectives, they are global leaders in this field and very close to achieving the 15% target. This year, the Cambodian Government is considering establishing a Disability Inclusion Committee to support quality assurance and monitoring further.
Conclusion and Outlook
Diversity and human rights topics were already under immense pressure when the Summit took place in 2025. One year on, that pressure has only increased further. Budgets continue to decrease, and funding for disability inclusion has not been spared. Despite this, however, disability inclusion plays a larger role in development cooperation today than it did one or two years ago. The Amman-Berlin Declaration marks the most significant step forward, with the first tangible results. The implementation has now gained momentum in many endorsing countries.
What is next?
- A second cycle of training for government officials on implementing the ABD is scheduled for summer 2026. Invitations will go out soon. Authorities responsible for ODA coordination are particularly encouraged to register! (Questions or interested in joining? Please get in touch with us: gds-declaration@giz.de)
- Self-paced study material in the making, expected to be published in late summer/early autumn.
- Country-specific support from the JHD for the implementation of the ABD is ongoing and expanding.
- A webinar detailing Cambodia’s experiences and providing insights into its dedicated disability marker is planned for Wednesday, 17 June 2026. Registrations to participate in the webinar are now open.
- Progress reports about the state of implementation of the commitments are about to be published within the upcoming weeks.
