The UN Report on Disability and Development 2024 has been published. This is the second publication to address the link between disability and the UN Sustainable Development Goals at a global level. The report provides the latest global analysis based on an unprecedented amount of data, legislation and policies from all countries to understand the socio-economic circumstances of persons with disabilities worldwide, the progress made so far and the challenges and barriers they still face in their daily lives, including the exacerbated impact due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This analysis shows that great progress has been made since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda, but if the trends observed since 2015 continue, the world will not achieve the SDGs for persons with disabilities by 2030. Progress must be accelerated. The report builds on these findings and offers a roadmap for a more inclusive and sustainable world.

At the suggestion of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs  in 2022, IFLA’s Section for Equitable and Accessible Library Services led an initiative to capture new insights and developments on serving library users and community members with disabilities through an online survey.

Three of our Standing Committee members contributed to this survey and originally, in their expert capacity, also to the report: Nancy Bolt, former Chair, Maela Racocevic Uvodic, current Chair, and Laia Vidal, SC member.