Localisation to Close the Global Accessibility Gap - Amplifying voices and stocktaking of innovations, approaches, and local practices to leave no one and no place behind

The current urban development practices are spurring a growing global accessibility crisis. By 2050, over two billion older persons and persons with disabilities will reside in urban areas, increasing the demand for inclusive and accessible infrastructure and services. The world is off-track on SDG 11 and the New Urban Agenda (NUA), and persons with disabilities continue to face significant barriers in accessing housing, transport and public spaces, protection from natural disasters and participation in urban planning and management. Strategies to build back better, climate adaptation and resilience policies also often ignore disability inclusion, accessibility, and universal design, resulting in the creation of new inaccessible infrastructure and consequently deepening inequalities. Despite global agendas being roadmaps to implement the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities across governance levels, progress remains slow.

Towards closing these gaps, localisation serves as a vehicle to accelerate action to translate accessibility obligations (CRPD Article 9) and commitments (NUA, SDG 11) into local realities. Building on this, World Blind Union, UCLG, UN-Habitat, International Disability Alliance, Cities for All and GAP Older Persons, co-created the 2023 ‘Policy Brief on Localisation to Solve the Accessibility Crisis’, providing insights into, and recommendations on, how localisation efforts can be tailored to unlock opportunities for local, regional and national governments to fulfil its commitments and obligations on the rights of persons with disabilities. Following the policy brief, a global survey has been undertaken by UCLG to capture how local and regional governments are practicing accessibility and engages with persons with disabilities. Simultaneously, the GDI Hub has led production of city case studies supporting local practitioners while amplifying local realities to influence global agendas and practices.

This event aims at gathering the network of core partners on inclusive and accessible cities to dive into and follow-up on outcomes and findings of current initiatives. It will unpack and share practices, examples, innovations and solutions to curb accessibility barriers, and discuss learnings from implementation of accessibility at local levels across diverse contexts. The event will include a panel discussion supported with quick presentations, and discussion with attendees.