Disability Migration Network

09/03/2026

08/03/2026

Women earn on average 20% less than men for the same work.

Gender pay gap persists everywhere. Stand up for equal pay for work of equal value.

07/03/2026

02/03/2026

📘 New DMN Report for the upcoming International Migration Review Forum

We are pleased to share our new report:

Building on the assessment: What disability responsiveness should mean for the Global Compact for Migration (GCM)

This study looks at how the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration can become more disability-responsive in practice.

Although the GCM supports rights based migration governance, disability is mentioned in only 3 of the 23 Objectives. Through focus group discussions with Organisations of Persons with Disabilities in Cambodia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Thailand, our research highlights what needs to change.

Participants shared that migrants with disabilities often face inaccessible systems, low participation, and weak institutional support throughout the migration process. Disability-responsiveness must mean both protection and empowerment.

🔗 Full report (fully accessible version):
https://disabilitymigrationnetwork.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/dmn-2026-what-does-a-disability-responsive-global-compact-for-safe-orderly-and-regular-migration-gcm.pdf

🔗 Easy Read version (fully accessible download):
https://disabilitymigrationnetwork.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/e2r-dmn-2026-what-does-a-disability-responsive-global-compact-for-safe-orderly-and-regular-migration-gcm.pdf

25/02/2026

Earlier this month in Nairobi, the Global Network of Refugees With Disabilities (GNRD) convened refugee-led organisations from Syria, Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Malawi, Sweden, and South Africa for a three-day in-person workshop on organisational strategy, governance, and next steps — with additional hybrid participation to include members facing travel restrictions.

The context is stark: UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency estimates 117.3 million people have been forced to flee their homes globally (end-June 2025). Using a commonly applied planning estimate, this suggests around 17.6 million forcibly displaced people may be persons with disabilities, too often overlooked in humanitarian response and decision-making.

With support from the Disability Rights Fund, the International Disability Alliance, the International Refugee Assistance Project and United Nations Human Rights the workshop created an accessible, safe space for members to build trust, align on priorities, and strengthen practical advocacy tools, including drawing on learning and knowledge products from Inclusive Futures: Reimagining Disability on refugees with disabilities, Global Disability Summit commitments and the Refugee Compact.

More details in the full piece here: https://createsend.com/t/y-0666C4EAE48C093D2540EF23F30FEDED

23/02/2026

18/02/2026

🎉유엔, CRPD위원회에 접근성 보장 약속🥳

유엔이 재정적 어려움을 근거로 유엔장애인권리위원회 정기 심의에 수어통역과 문자통역 등 기본적 접근성 제공을 잠정 중단하겠다는 충격적 소식이 있었죠. 올해는 유엔장애인권리협약 20주년을 맞이하는 역사적 해이기에 더더욱 전 세계 장애인의 분노를 사는 소식이었습니다.

유엔장애인권리위원회의 규탄성명을 시작으로 한국장애포럼(KDF), 국제장애연맹, 일본장애포럼 등 전 세계 장애계가 유엔의 장애인차별을 한 목소리로 비판하고 권리 보장을 촉구했습니다(KDF 성명👉프로필 클릭).

그리고 그 결과!!!

유엔이 장애인권리위원회 34차 심의 세션에 정당한 편의를 전적으로 제공(full provision of reasonable accommodation)하겠다고 약속했습니다!(박수갈채~~~🎊👏)

이는 전 세계 장애인의 연대의 결과이자, 장애인에 대한 정당한 편의제공과 접근성 보장이 퇴보할 수 없는 기본적 인권임을 재확인하는 역사적 사건입니다.

불안정하고 혼란스러운 시대에, 더욱 굳건하고 단단히 지켜야 할 인류의 약속이 잘 지켜지는지, 한국장애포럼은 전 세계의 동지들과 함께 끊임없이 감시하고 목소리를 내겠습니다!

12/02/2026

11/02/2026

Status update on accessibility services for the upcoming Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Human Rights Council

Following our public statement last week on the impact of funding shortfalls on access to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), IDA has sought direct engagement with senior United Nations authorities responsible for human rights and conference management.

In this context, IDA has formally requested prompt intervention and the exploration of solutions to ensure that the minimum accessibility conditions required for the upcoming 34th session of the Committee and for disability-related panels during the 61st session of the Human Rights Council are confirmed in a timely manner.

During an organisational meeting of the 61st session of the Human Rights Council on 9 February, a representative of the UN Office at Geneva’s Division of Conference Management reaffirmed the cash-conservation measures currently in place and reported that no additional funding has been received from Member States. As a result, accessibility services, including international sign interpretation and captioning, remain unconfirmed for the forthcoming CRPD Committee session and related Human Rights Council panels.

Several States, including , , , and , expressed concern at the meeting and sought clarification. Finland emphasised that budgetary measures should not have a disproportionate negative impact on persons with disabilities and experts with disabilities, while Spain stated that the exclusion of persons with disabilities is unacceptable.

While discussions between relevant parties are ongoing, IDA and the wider disability community continue to expect that the necessary accessibility services will be confirmed in time for the forthcoming sessions. Guaranteeing accessibility is essential to the effective functioning of the CRPD Committee and to the meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in Human Rights Council processes.

IDA therefore reiterates its call on States Parties to fulfil their funding obligations and on the relevant UN offices to take the necessary steps to confirm and promptly communicate the availability of accessibility services. Accessibility and reasonable accommodation are not optional measures but binding obligations under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and essential components of the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy.

World Federation of the Deaf Youth Section World Federation of the Deaf Ry World Federation of the Deafblind ASEAN Disability Forum RIADIS World Blind Union Pacific Disability Forum World Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry European Disability Forum International Federation for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus African Disability Forum - ADF Federation of Hard of Hearing People United Nations Human Rights INCLUSION INTERNATIONAL

11/02/2026

06/02/2026

📘 New ILO publication on fair recruitment of migrant workers with disabilities

The International Labour Organization has released a new technical report on fair recruitment of migrant workers with disabilities, addressing a long standing gap at the intersection of disability inclusion, labour migration, and recruitment practices.

Since 2014, the ILO Fair Recruitment Initiative (FRI) has promoted transparent, ethical, and rights based recruitment. This report takes an important step further by explicitly examining how existing recruitment systems affect persons with disabilities, particularly migrant workers, and by situating these challenges within relevant international labour standards.

The report highlights persistent barriers, emerging good practices, and the need for stronger disability-responsive guidance within fair recruitment frameworks.

🔗 Read the ILO report here:
https://www.ilo.org/publications/technical-report-fair-recruitment-migrant-workers-disabilities

📄 Related reading from DMN
As a reminder, the DMN previously published a report examining the disability-responsiveness of fair recruitment.

🔗 Read the DMN report here:
https://disabilitymigrationnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/disability-responsiveness-of-fair-recruitment-the-situation-for-migrant-workers-with-disabilities.pdf

We welcome this ILO publication and see it as an important opportunity to strengthen disability inclusion in labour migration policy and practice.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is committed to advancing fair recruitment practices that respect human rights and promote decent work for all. Since its launch in 2014, the ILO Fair Recruitment Initiative (FRI) has sought to ensure that recruitment processes are con-ducted in a fair, tr...