The Government is committed to the promise of the Global Goals to Leave No One Behind. The Secretary of State for International Development, Priti Patel, has said she believes people with disabilities must be at the heart of DFID's work to build a more prosperous and secure future and she will be working with governments, NGOs, multilaterals, businesses and individuals to ensure that nobody is left behind. Indeed, the recent Bilateral Development Review made clear that the UK will continue to prioritise work that targets the most vulnerable and disadvantaged, including people with disabilities.
An estimated one billion people across the globe have a disability, 80 per cent of whom live in developing countries. Many people living with disabilities do not have a voice, choice or control over their lives. Often they face poverty, stigma, discrimination or even violence; and for too long, they have been overlooked by decision makers. DFID is committed to working to change this and to establishing itself as the global leader in this neglected and under-prioritised area.
The Government will ensure people with disabilities are systematically and consistently included in, and benefit from, international aid and humanitarian assistance. DFID will ensure people with disabilities access a quality education and productive employment and will work with national governments and the private sector to ensure people with disabilities no longer face stigma and discrimination. DFID's work on health systems and diseases is also important to prevent avoidable disability.
Decision-makers often overlook people with disabilities because of a lack of quality data on disability. For this reason, the UK is maintaining its commitment to be a global authority on disability data so that every person counts and advocate for the better practice to ensure accurate, and robust, international comparable data on disability is collected.
