Director-General/Executive Director
Dear Mr. Essl,
Dear colleagues and friends,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It gives me great joy to return this year for the fourth time to open the Zero Project Conference 2024.
I’ve had the pleasure of addressing this conference on three occasions on a variety of themes, from fostering inclusive employment in 2021, to supporting accessibility in 2022, to empowering independent living and political participation in 2023.
These diverse topics underscore the enduring relevance of the Zero Project in dismantling barriers faced by persons with disabilities worldwide.
Having previously served as Minister of Social Solidarity in Egypt, disability inclusion was and continues to be a cause close to my heart, so I was very keen to be part of this initiative, especially as this gathering never fails to infuse me with optimism, inspiration, and positive energy.
I would also like to express my heartfelt appreciation to two important changemakers. To you, Mr. Essl, for your dedication and commitment to relentlessly championing the cause of persons with disabilities, through both good times and bad.
When you established the Zero Project in 2008, you set in motion a global movement to advance disability rights worldwide, recognizing the glaring inequalities faced by persons with disabilities.
The Zero Project has since developed into a powerful force for change.
Throughout the years, it has connected over 6,500 experts, professionals, and volunteers from more than 100 countries, including civil society, the private sector, and technology companies.
Together, they strive towards a world where every person with disabilities can thrive and live with dignity.
And the second changemaker, Ms. Casey, thank you for the energy, passion, and enthusiasm that you bring to these conferences every year.
Your work has contributed so much to promoting the rights of persons with disabilities in the private sector.
You are not afraid to get up and change the world, no matter how tough it turns out to be.
It is also fitting that we are holding this Conference here at the Vienna International Centre, which this year celebrates its 45th anniversary.
This milestone is an opportunity to reflect on the progress we have made, and to highlight the contribution of the United Nations family in Vienna.
Looking ahead, the Vienna-based organizations will continue to play a central role in facilitating multilateral, inclusive solutions for a better tomorrow, a topic that Member States will discuss at the Summit of the Future later this year.
Distinguished participants,
The efforts of millions of disability inclusion champions and leaders like yourselves have had a palpable impact on our world.
Today, I can confidently say that we have indeed come a long way since the UN first hosted this Conference more than 10 years ago.
186 countries have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Over 90 per cent of signatories have adopted national disability laws.
80 per cent of States Parties prohibit discrimination in hiring persons with disabilities, while the number of schools with inclusive materials for students with disabilities has almost tripled, from 17 per cent in 2013 to 47 per cent in 2021.
And last year in New York, Member States adopted a landmark declaration at the SDG Summit, which among other things called for the full and effective participation of persons with disabilities in all spheres of life.
This progress reflects the world’s recognition of your rights as persons with disabilities.
But the work is far from over and we must keep striving for greater inclusivity in the face of growing global divides and challenges.
There are over 1.3 billion persons with disabilities worldwide, yet 80 per cent of them live in developing countries.
The divide between North and South is only widening, even as advances in technology and artificial intelligence unleash a new wave of innovation in education, access to healthcare, and assistive tools in developed countries.
This year’s theme on education and ICT underscores the urgency of harnessing technology for the collective benefit of all, and I encourage you to use this opportunity over the next couple of days to explore practical ways to find new, innovative solutions and to learn from one another.
This is needed more than ever. I am speaking to you today at a more sombre time than previous years, as we meet in the shadow of war, including one in my own region and another on Europe’s doorstep. Let’s pray for peace.
People with disabilities are too often the invisible and forgotten victims of conflict and violence, finding themselves side-lined from emergency responses and humanitarian relief efforts.
According to the UN Mine Action Service, armed conflicts account for 16 per cent of disabilities, creating additional hurdles for people with disabilities in accessing protective and essential services, including healthcare, shelter, and psychological support.
In short, wars cause disabilities and prevent persons with disabilities from receiving much needed services.
Meanwhile, children with disabilities are disproportionately affected, with more than 240 million children with disabilities in the world, and half of them out of school.
Without an education, they risk falling deeper into poverty, experiencing economic hardship, social exclusion, and limited access to essential services.
Distinguished guests,
The Zero Project Conference is a testament to the power of civil society.
It connects organizations from around the world to share ideas, develop new solutions, and celebrate the ground-breaking efforts of individuals and organizations dedicated to advancing disability rights.
From teaching digital skills to underprivileged girls and women in Nigeria, to supporting children with disabilities in India through accessible ICT devices, to developing new mobile applications to help Ukrainian refugees learn sign language.
The breadth and diversity of projects that we are celebrating today is truly inspiring, with over 70 initiatives from 43 countries.
Above all, these awards underscore the indispensable role of civil society in working directly with communities, families, and grassroots organizations.
The UN Office at Vienna and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime are your allies in these efforts, providing a forum to connect you and your ideas directly to policymakers, to create the change that is needed.
In 2022, I pledged to champion disability inclusion in all our activities, a commitment that has also been taken by our staff members here at HQ and in the field.
We are working closely with civil society partners to improve accessibility and inclusion of people with disabilities across all our mandate areas.
Our conference management services use assistive devices in our conference rooms, while we have adapted our websites and communications to become more inclusive through image descriptions.
We also established a network of persons with disabilities in 2022, to promote a culture of understanding and to provide support to our staff members with disabilities.
Today, the network counts 54 members and six steering groups that promote disability inclusion, through accessible schooling, awareness raising events, external relations, group activities, social security, and communication.
And in 2023, I was proud to launch the second edition of the UNOV/UNODC Action Plan on Disability Inclusion, so that our actions are implemented for, by and with persons with disabilities, under the principle “nothing about us, without us”.
Meanwhile, we are delivering assistance and capacity-building in the field to improve accessibility and inclusion.
We are amplifying the voices of persons with disabilities and working to protect their rights when they come into contact with the criminal justice system and law enforcement, as well as when they fall victim to crime and violence.
In Egypt, for example, where persons with disabilities make up 8 per cent of the population,we are working to ensure victims’ access to justice by supporting legislative reform, providing legal aid, and refurbishing courts to make them more accessible.
In Thailand, we are organizing regular national consultations on preventing violent extremism with contributions from persons with disabilities as equal partners.
In Pakistan, we are collaborating with NGOs to improve access to services and equal opportunities for persons with disabilities in the police and justice sector.
And last year in Myanmar, we trained over 40 medical staff to improve healthcare services for persons with disabilities in prisons, which make up 4 per cent of the total prison population in the country.
We are committed to promoting disability inclusion across our mandate, guided by the UN’s Disability Inclusion Strategy launched in 2019.
Ladies and gentlemen,
As we gather here today, I am inspired by the enduring resilience shown by persons with disabilities in the face of adversity.
I am reminded, too, of a quote by the actor Roy J Mitte, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at the age of three. He said “even though you have a disability, that does not make you disabled. It gives you insight. It gives you knowledge. It gives you something that someone without that will never learn.”
We are here today to learn from you and to take inspiration from your insights, so that we can continue to break down barriers for a more accessible and inclusive world for all.
Thank you.