AFI, Barrier-Free Finance Initiative, e-MFP, Humanity & Inclusion, Grameen Foundation and the World Food Programme have announced a joint commitment to take actions to advance financial inclusion for persons with disabilities (PWDs). The commitment, announced on the occasion of the 2025 Global Disability Summit in Berlin, marks the first time that inclusive finance stakeholders have collectively pledged concrete, time-bound actions under the GDS framework, signalling a major step toward a more accessible and equitable financial ecosystem.

Over the next three years, AFI and its partners will collaborate on inclusive financial solutions, advocacy with organizations of persons with disabilities, data collection, and shared learning.

Each partner also made individual pledges. AFI reaffirmed its commitment under the 2019 Kigali Statement, which places disadvantaged groups such as PWDs at the centre of financial inclusion strategies and policies. Other AFI commitments include raising awareness across our global network, delivering targeted capacity building, and spotlighting disability inclusion at key events like the Global Policy Forum and the 2025 Inclusive Fintech Showcase.

About the GDS Commitment

The GDS, which convenes every three years, was created in 2017 to convene global, regional, and national stakeholders to close the gap between disability inclusion and development cooperation.

The GDS Commitments Mechanism offers a structured path for organizations to support the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

Click here to view our commitment (type ‘financial inclusion of persons with disabilities’ in the third column to see the commitment by BFFI) and to view the full list of GDS 2025 commitments.