Commonwealth leaders endorse action plan to advance disability rights for 450 million people
Commonwealth leaders endorsed a new Action Plan at their biennial summit in Antigua and Barbuda on 4 November, aimed at advancing the rights and inclusion of more than 450 million persons with disabilities across the Commonwealth’s 56 member countries.
The ‘Commonwealth Disability Inclusion Action Plan’ sets out practical steps for member countries to strengthen laws, policies and services for persons with disabilities, and support their full and equal participation in society.
It covers areas ranging from accessibility, education and employment to access to justice, participation in political and public life, and the collection and use of data disaggregated by disability.
Shaped by persons with disabilities
The Action Plan delivers on a commitment made by leaders at the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa.
It was initiated by the Commonwealth Disabled People’s Forum, which developed an initial draft in 2023 to support the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at the national level.
Following CHOGM 2024, the Commonwealth Secretariat established an Expert Working Group of member country representatives to refine the Action Plan.
In keeping with the principle of ‘Nothing About Us Without Us’, the process was supported by an Advisory Group of Persons with Disabilities, Disabled People’s Organisations, and the Commonwealth Children and Youth Disability Network.
Representatives of the Advisory Group, Carla Qualtrough, Canadian human rights attorney, and Heather Walkus, National Chair of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, said:
“Persons with disabilities and our representative organisations brought lived experience, expertise and community connections. The result is better policy, greater accountability and more meaningful outcomes for communities across the Commonwealth.”
The Commonwealth Children and Youth Disability Network said it worked throughout the drafting process to ensure that children and young people with disabilities had a stronger voice in shaping the policies and laws that affect their lives and futures.
Putting the plan into practice
Eswatini has already begun taking the plan forward. In September 2026, the country’s Cabinet adopted the Commonwealth Disability Inclusion Action Plan at the national level, making it one of the first member countries to do so.
Fikile Shongwe, Disability Programmes Manager in the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office of Eswatini, said:
“We are pleased that the Action Plan has been considered and adopted at the national level. It will support our efforts to improve access to education, employment, healthcare, social protection, and full participation in society for persons with disabilities.”
The Commonwealth Secretariat will support implementation of the Action Plan through technical assistance, capacity building and continued engagement with organisations of persons with disabilities.
Justin Pettit, acting Head of the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Human Rights Unit, said:
“For persons with disabilities, progress is not measured by promises on paper, but by what changes in their daily lives. It is whether they can exercise their right to go to school, find decent work, have a voice in decisions affecting them and participate fully in their communities.
“This Action Plan gives us a practical path to go from commitment to implementation. Our task now is to work with governments and organisations of persons with disabilities to dismantle the barriers, accelerate action and deliver the inclusion, opportunity and dignity everyone deserves.”
The Action Plan will be formally launched on 3 December 2026, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which coincides with the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Read the ‘Commonwealth Disability Inclusion Action Plan’
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