The IDPD was first proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1992 to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights, and well-being of persons with disabilities.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recognises disability as a global public health issue, a human rights issue and a development priority. WHO recognises ‘disability’ as “an umbrella term for impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions, denoting the negative aspects of the interaction between an individual (with a health condition) and that individual’s contextual (environmental and personal) factors. Disability is neither simply a biological nor a social phenomenon.” (WHO Global Disability Action Plan 2014–2021.)