News / Disability & inclusion /

Sightsavers, UNICEF and CBM launch global partnership to support children with disabilities

February 2026

Sightsavers has announced a new strategic partnership with UNICEF and CBM, amid concerns that recent cuts to international aid are undermining global progress on disability inclusion.

In a joint statement, the international development organisations said the collaboration will scale up support for children with disabilities and their families globally, and increase the reach of child vision and hearing services in Africa.

According to UNICEF, there are 240 million children with disabilities worldwide, and many face systemic barriers that prevent them from reaching their full potential. In some countries, disability can more than double a child’s likelihood of missing out on education. Girls with disabilities are at particular risk of being left behind, not only in education but also in healthcare and social inclusion, because of intersecting gender discrimination.

The partnership will focus on sharing knowledge, technical collaboration and mobilising resources, in alignment with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with its promise to leave no one behind.

More information about the partnership and its initial results will be shared during a launch event at the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in June 2026.

in Malawi, a young boy in a wheelchair smiles broadly and holds his hand up to wave at the camera.

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From left: UNICEF’s Alexandre Cote, Dominique Schlupkothen from CBM, Gopal Mitra from UNICEF, and Sightsavers’ Dominic Haslam. © Sightsavers/Tom Jenkinson

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