Assistive Technology for inclusive development in the Indo-Pacific (ATscale)
$16.5 million, 2024 to 2029
Australia is partnering with ATscale, the Global Partnership for Assistive Technology, to improve the lives of children with disability by screening and providing the assistive technology they need (including glasses, hearing aids and mobility aids) to support inclusion in schools and communities. Australian funding is supporting programs in Indonesia and seven countries in the Pacific (Fiji, Kiribati, Federated States of Micronesia, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu). The program also supports the strengthening of national systems, workforce capacity and cross-sector and regional coordination. Australia is a member of the ATscale Board.
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Stronger Movements, Stronger Futures
$50 million, 2025 to 2031
Stronger Movements, Stronger Futures is a flagship initiative under Australia's International Disability Equity and Rights Strategy. The initiative will strengthen national, regional, and global disability rights movements – ensuring people with disability are at the centre of policy and decision-making. Through this investment, Australia will partner with three leading organisations of people with disability (OPDs) – the International Disability Alliance, Pacific Disability Forum, and ASEAN Disability Forum. Stronger Movements, Stronger Futures will provide core funding and capacity building support to OPDs and enable their participation in national, regional and global forums. It will also foster regional and cross-movement collaboration and create new opportunities for peer-to-peer learning.
Support for Pacific organisations of people with disability (Pacific Disability Forum)
$17 million, 2026 to 2031
Australia partners with the Pacific Disability Forum (PDF) under the Stronger Movements, Stronger Futures initiative. PDF is a regional umbrella organisation of Pacific OPDs, that supports their members to advocate for and advance their rights. PDF works with governments, civil society and development partners to develop policies and actions that include people with disability in all aspects of public life on an equal basis with others. PDF also works with the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, UN agencies, development partners, churches, regional civil society organisations and service providers to ensure that people with disabilities are included in national and regional plans and policies.
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Support for the International Disability Alliance
$17 million, 2026 to 2031
Australia partners with the International Disability Alliance (IDA) under the Stronger Movements, Stronger Futures initiative. IDA is a leading global umbrella organisation of OPDs, that supports their members to advocate for and advance their rights. IDA amplifies the voices of people with disability in multilateral forums and drives systemic change through OPD leadership. IDA sustains strong advocacy presence at multilateral forums and supports coordinated involvement of representative OPDs at the national, regional and international levels.
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International Disability Alliance
Support for the ASEAN Disability Forum
$2.6 million, 2026 to 2029
Australia partners with the ASEAN Disability Forum (ADF) under the Stronger Movements, Stronger Futures initiative. ADF is an umbrella organisation of ASEAN OPDs, that supports their members to advocate for and advance their rights. As a regional OPD leader, ADF engages with key ASEAN processes and structures, and supports national and local level OPDs to engage in advocacy and policy development.
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United Nations Global Disability Fund (previously the UN Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities)
$15.4 million, 2026 to 2030
The United Nations Global Disability Fund (GDF) is a collaboration by UN entities, governments, organisations of people with disability and the broader civil society to advance disability rights around the world. UN GDF supports implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities through coalition building and capacity development. The technical secretariat for GDF is hosted by the UN Development Programme. Australia is a member of both the GDF Policy Board and Management Committee.
Related links
Global Disability Fund - Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Strengthening data on children with disability (UNICEF)
$2.1 million, 2024 to 2027
This project aims to strengthen the quality, availability and use of data on children with disability, with a regional focus on Southeast Asia. The project focuses on low-and middle-income countries in Southeast Asia, while also providing overall support and technical assistance to countries in other regions, including the Pacific. UNICEF works with countries in SEA on the assessment of data availability and needs, data collection, analysis, interpretation, and use.
Related links:
Children with disabilities - UNICEF DATA
Pacific Disability Statistics (The Pacific Community - SPC)
$2.5 million, 2024 to 2027
This project is a component of a broader Australian investment in SPC's Statistics for Development Division ($12.0 million, 2023 to 2027). The project aims to revitalise the Pacific Group on Disability Statistics (PGDS), chaired by SPC and the Pacific Disability Forum. It supports regional and national integration of disability considerations into statistical frameworks, policy, and practice, and boosts capacity to produce, disseminate, and use disability statistics.