Knowledge Hub

Despite significant progress towards our shared 2030 Global Goals Agenda, girls with disabilities are still being denied their right to education. 2021 will see countries make new commitments on education and gender equality to achieve SDG4 and SDG5. This year, it is urgent that countries mainstream disability in their education and gender equality strategies, budgets, and frameworks. 

Leave No Girl With Disabilities Behind is a new advocacy brief from the UN Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) and Leonard Cheshire, launching today. The brief provides a framework for advocacy on inclusive education for girls with disabilities in particular. An overview of the current status of global education for girls with disabilities identifies the key challenges and barriers to inclusive and gender-responsive education. Case studies from Leonard Cheshire, Humanity and Inclusion, and Sightsavers highlight some promising strategies to overcome these barriers. 

The brief concludes with targeted recommendations for governments, ministries and world leaders to rebuild better, fairer, and more inclusive education systems that support all learners, including girls with disabilities. The recommendations focus on five key areas: strengthening education systems for gender equality and inclusion; fostering cross-sectoral collaboration; targeting education financing for equity and inclusion; building back equal following the COVID-19 pandemic; and nurturing youth leadership. As world leaders get ready to meet at the G7 Summit and the GPE Replenishment summit this summer, these recommendations couldn’t be more timely. The recommendations will also be critical in driving meaningful commitments at the 2022 Global Disability Summit.