Minimum standards for disability inclusion mainstreaming in UN joint programmes

The Joint SDG Fund is the UN's flagship financing mechanism for accelerating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through integrated, country-led solutions. The Joint SDG Fund is grounded in the principles of leave no one behind and a human rights-based approach, it embeds these principle throughout the joint programme cycle. To ensure persons with disabilities benefit equitably from sustainable development, our Associate worked with the Joint SDG Fund (in collaboration with the Executive Office of the Secretary-General) to develop these minimum standards and the accompanying guidance note. These standards align with the United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy 2.0 (UNDIS 2.0) and guide UN Country Teams to operationalise disability inclusion mainstreaming in joint programmes.

When joint programmes align with nationally agreed development priorities and the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, mainstreaming disability inclusion in joint programmes can support delivery on government obligations of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). These minimum standards were developed to strengthen and shape work undertaken by UN Country Teams.