Berlin, Germany – October 2025
Disabled Women in Africa (DIWA) proudly delivered a powerful statement at the launch of the Amman-Berlin Declaration on Global Disability Inclusion during the Global Disability Summit held in Germany. The declaration marks a historic moment in reaffirming the world’s commitment to disability inclusion, equality, and accountability.
Representing the voices of over 33 women-led member organizations across Africa, Ruth Mkutumula, Executive Director of DIWA, addressed global leaders, UN agencies, donors, and civil society partners. In her remarks, she reminded delegates that “for far too long, the 15 percent of the global population with disabilities, more than half of whom are women, have been left out of development. We have been invited to speak, but not to decide.”
Ruth emphasized that the Amman-Berlin Declaration must move beyond symbolic inclusion toward practical, resourced, and rights-based inclusion that transforms lives on the ground. She called for commitments such as the “15 for the 15” pledge, allocating 15% of development cooperation resources for persons with disabilities, to be implemented with gender, diversity, and accountability at the core.
“Now we need to answer these questions,” Ruth said. “How are these commitments going to change the life of a girl with a disability pursuing university education? Or ensure a pregnant woman with a disability can access antenatal care? Will they allow women with disabilities to run for parliamentary elections? Nothing will change if the 15% ignores diversity.”
She further urged governments and development partners to recognize women’s leadership, invest in women-led organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs), and ensure their full participation in the design, implementation, and monitoring of disability inclusion initiatives.
Looking ahead, Ruth called for the next Global Disability Summit to reflect concrete results, where numbers translate into stories of impact and women with disabilities from the Global South take their rightful place in global governance structures.
“Women with disabilities shall stand together and forge strong partnerships to push promises into progress,” she concluded. “As women with disabilities in Africa, we stand ready to collaborate, monitor, and drive these commitments to reality.”
The Amman-Berlin Declaration represents a renewed global effort to mainstream disability inclusion across all sectors, ensuring that the world’s 1.3 billion persons with disabilities are not left behind. DIWA’s presence reaffirmed Africa’s leadership in shaping inclusive development and amplifying the voices of women and girls with disabilities on the global stage.
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