Chair,
Germany aligns itself with the EU statement.

Germany thanks the Missions of Slovenia, Guyana, Poland and the United Kingdom as well as all the briefers.

We commend the convening of this important meeting and welcome its focus on ensuring the visibility and inclusion of persons with disabilities in situations of armed conflict and related humanitarian crises. We believe this issue deserves a prominent place on the Security Council’s agenda.

As a Council member at the time, Germany was proud to support the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2475 (2019), which recognizes the rights and needs of persons with disabilities in conflict settings. The resolution’s implementation remains a priority for Germany.

As the leading donor to ICRCs Special Appeal “Disability and Mine Action,” with a contribution of 11.27 million euros, Germany is committed to supporting programs that have made a difference in emergency responses, including in Gaza, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Sudan – providing early rehabilitation and post-surgical care to a number of weapon-wounded persons.

Looking ahead, Germany, together with Jordan and the International Disability Alliance, will host the Global Disability Summit from April 2-3, 2025, in Berlin. This summit will address situations of risk, armed conflict, disasters, and disability, including humanitarian aid. It will serve as a platform to deepen our collective commitments to disability inclusion in both development and humanitarian action.

We warmly invite all of you to join us at the summit and work together to advance a more inclusive global response to the challenges faced by persons with disabilities.

Thank you.