Twenty Years of the CRPD: Health Equity as an Enabler of Inclusion

Twenty years after the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the International Federation for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus has published a new reflection paper exploring the progress achieved, the challenges that remain, and the actions needed to advance disability rights. While important advances have been made, the promise of the CRPD remains far from fully realised in practice.

The publication highlights why health equity is not optional, but a fundamental precondition for inclusion, dignity, and equal participation for people living with spina bifida and hydrocephalus. It calls attention to ongoing barriers in access to care, assistive products, and rights-based health systems that must be urgently addressed if the CRPD commitments are to be met.

Grounded in two decades of advocacy, evidence, and lived experience, this reflection urges renewed political will and accelerated action to close the gap between rights on paper and rights in reality.

Read the publication: Twenty Years of the CRPD: Health Equity as an Enabler of Inclusion