Launch of the WHO-UNICEF Global Report on Developmental Disabilities
In person event to Launch the WHO-UNICEF Global Report on Developmental Disabilities.
Developmental disabilities are common. Children and young people with developmental disabilities are a large and growing population. Yet, children with developmental disabilities have been neglected in health systems planning and policy provisions for health. At the same time, children and young people with developmental disabilities continue to experience stigmatization, prejudice, institutionalization, barriers to participation, as well as social, economic, educational and other forms of exclusion. They encounter barriers in accessing healthcare and experience more preventable harms and poorer care quality when compared with their peers.
WHO-UNICEF’s Global Report is a call for action to intentionally include children and young people with developmental disabilities in renewed global and country level efforts to enable transformations towards the SDGs. It proposes priority actions to accelerate individual-, family-, community-, and society-level changes to achieve inclusion and health equity. The report makes the case for greater investment and accountability to build inclusive and responsive multisectoral care systems for children and young people with developmental disabilities. Using findings from research and practice and guided by the tenets of international human rights conventions, the report provides key insights into the state of knowledge, policy, programming, and public monitoring in respect of developmental disabilities.