Your Majesty,

Dr. Kabbara,

Ministers, Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen, 

“No one shall be disadvantaged because of their disability”. 

This rule has been part of our constitution here in Germany for 30 years now. 

And ever since 2009, when Germany ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, we have been working to ensure that also international cooperation includes and is accessible to persons with disabilities.  

Our constitution as well as the UN Convention reaffirm something that should be obvious to everyone: 

Inclusion is a fundamental human right. 

It derives directly from the dignity inherent in every person by virtue of their humanity. 

Yet as obvious as this is – achieving equality remains a global challenge. 

Despite the progress made in recent years, persons with disabilities continue to face systemic barriers. 

From education to employment, from healthcare to political participation, from access to technology to social inclusion — the challenges are vast and often interconnected.

Joint action is as urgent as ever.

With this in mind, it is an honour for me to open the Third Global Disability Summit here in Berlin today – together with our co-hosts, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the International Disability Alliance. 

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Your Majesty, I am grateful that you have come to Berlin for the opening of the Summit. Your presence here today testifies to the deep and trusted partnership between our two nations. 

Jordan is a true pioneer for the inclusion of people with disabilities in its region. 

As one aspect of our close partnership, we are working together with Jordan to implement some of the very concrete commitments that we are submitting to the Global Disability Summit 2025. 

One of them, for instance, aims to ensure inclusive education - an issue that is close to my heart. 

We will work together to enable thousands of children with disabilities in Jordan – as well as their classmates not living with a disability – to benefit from an inclusive learning environment.

I would also like to extend a warm welcome to the International Disability Alliance and all the organisations that it represents. 

Dr. Kabbara, thank you for co-hosting this Summit, and thank you for your outstanding work.

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The unique value of our gathering is that it brings together governments, civil society, the private sector and international organisations with those who matter most when it comes to our joint cause: persons with disabilities themselves. 

It is your voices, your experiences and your aspirations that must guide our deliberations and decisions here in Berlin – true to the principle that guides the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: “Nothing about us without us”. 

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Ladies and gentlemen, 

Over one billion people worldwide, more than 15% of the global population, live with some form of disability. 

Including this large group of people in decision making, social services, education and labour markets is not just an act of humanity. 

It is in our economic interest. 

It is our democratic duty. 

And it is politically expedient. 

I am saying this at a time when diversity, participation and inclusion are increasingly being called into question and even attacked in many countries.

We are here to state very clearly that we will not let this happen.

As a token of our resolve, we will - for the first time - agree on a specific funding target: 

“Fifteen percent for the fifteen percent” is the message of the Amman-Berlin Declaration on Global Disability Inclusion. 

Actors endorsing the declaration commit to making their international development programmes inclusive and accessible to persons with disabilities. 

And they will strive to ensure that at least 15 percent of international development programmes being implemented at the country level also pursue disability inclusion as a clear objective.

I would like to thank all delegations that have already signed up to this declaration, and I encourage everyone else to join us.

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Ladies and gentlemen, 

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has increased our understanding of what living with a disability means. 

It is not primarily about individual characteristics such as physical impairments – it is about dealing with barriers that exist – whether they be social or physical. 

In Germany, we recently launched a government initiative to promote accessibility for persons with disabilities in all policy areas.

We are working to improve the access of persons with disabilities to our labour market by providing independent advice and wage subsidies.

But the advancement of indivisible human rights is always a global task, one that we can only achieve together.

That is why we are convening here in Berlin. 

Let this Summit be a platform for dialogue, collaboration and, most importantly, for action.

Let us move beyond abstract discussions and focus on what matters most: breaking down the barriers that exist for people with disabilities.

An I will add: In each of our countries and all around the world.

Thank you.