Global progress towards early childhood development for children with disabilities, 2013–2023

[...]except for the ECD task force which is now independently run with a broader focus on all children, virtually all the task forces established in 2013 are no longer active. Besides the historical contributions to the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in a growing number of countries that began in 1990, the global pledges for children with disabilities remain largely unfulfilled. To reverse this trend, in December 2022 UNICEF launched an ambitious and unprecedented plan to promote disability-inclusion within its organisation and external activities tagged Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy (DIPAS) 2022–2030.10 DIPAS prioritised interventions aimed at promoting disability inclusion within and across UNICEF’s sectors—including early childhood screening, detection and intervention; access to disability-inclusive health and nutrition services throughout the life course; disability-inclusive education and skills development; and support for inclusive and effective child protection systems. [...]the global commitment under the SDGs on ECD provides a unifying agenda that should be prioritised over any sectoral initiatives within and outside the UN system. [...]any policy on inclusive education that is not anchored on ECD is unlikely to be inclusive as it will only serve children with mild-to-moderate disabilities by school age, compared to children with the more challenging severe-to-profound disabilities. Practical steps to promote ECD for children with disabilities in LMICs have now been recommended by a group of accomplished stakeholders with and without lived experience of disability in accordance with the provisions in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.11 Examples of successful programmes that can be adapted and developed into a global ECD strategy for children with disabilities include the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (USA),16 and the RBSK Early Detection and Intervention Programme in India.17 As we approach the 10th anniversary of the action plans in 2013 for disability-inclusive development and with only 7 years to the end of the SDGs, UNICEF should consider recalibrating DIPAS for tangible and sustainable impact in this target population of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children in LMICs (see box 1).2 7 11–13 There is also a need to ensure that long-standing commitments are prioritised over new programmes regardless of changes in