The International Disability Alliance and World Health Organization warmly invite you to join the webinar "Nothing about us without us: centring organisations of persons with disabilities in health decision-making processes".
Around 1.3 billion persons with disabilities - representing 16% of the global population - continue to experience significant and avoidable health inequities, including poorer health outcomes, higher disease risks, and premature death. These inequities are driven by systemic barriers, such as stigma and discrimination or the limited prioritisation of disability inclusion in health systems. A critical and often overlooked driver of these inequities is the exclusion of persons with disabilities and their representative organisations from health decision-making processes. Meaningful engagement of organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) is a legal obligation under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and a proven pathway to more equitable, effective, and inclusive health systems.
Against this backdrop, the International Disability Alliance, in collaboration with the World Health Organization, is convening a webinar to explore how OPD leadership can be strengthened and systematically embedded in health sector decision-making at national, regional, and global levels.
Date and time
The webinar will be hosted on 7 May 2026, from 12:00 to 12:30 CEST.
Content & accessibility
The webinar aims to discuss how to meaningfully engage persons with disabilities, through their representative organisations, in health decision-making processes.
Specifically, the session will:
- Position health inequities experienced by persons with disabilities as a global health priority requiring system-wide action;
- Disseminate information on building OPD leadership in health sector processes;
- Share good practices on meaningful engagement of persons with disabilities through their representative organisations in health sector decision-making processes.
The webinar will feature experts from OPDs (ASEAN Disability Forum, Down Syndrome International, International Disability Alliance, Red Latinoamericana de Organizationes de Personas Con Discapacidad Y Sus Familias), a Member State (Australia) and UN agency (World Health Organization). An expert presentation, a panel discussion, and an interactive Q&A session will be facilitated.
The session will be conducted in English with live captioning and International Sign Language interpretation. More information about language interpretation will follow shortly.
Health equity cannot be achieved without the leadership and meaningful participation of persons with disabilities. Join us in advancing inclusive, rights-based health decision-making processes that truly leave no one behind.