On 2 September, the United Nations General Assembly adopted, by consensus, its first-ever resolution dedicated entirely to Access to Assistive Technology (A/80/L.110). For the 2.5 billion people worldwide who need a wheelchair, prosthesis, orthosis, hearing aid, or other assistive product, it is a milestone worth marking, and one that speaks directly to ISPO’s mission.
A resolution years in the making
The text was introduced under the social development agenda of the General Assembly’s 80th session and passed its “silence procedure”, a diplomatic step confirming no member state objects, on 25 August, before formal adoption on 2 September. It was led by Pakistan and co-sponsored by more than 40 Member States, part of a diplomatic effort Pakistan has championed since it first brought the issue to the World Health Assembly in 2018 with WHA71.8 on Improving Access to Assistive Technology, also adopted by consensus.
The resolution was drafted and negotiated by Counsellor Saima Saleem, Pakistan’s first visually impaired career diplomat and, notably, a user of assistive technology herself. Her lived experience shaped a text she has described simply: “Universal access can transform millions of lives — advancing inclusion, dignity & opportunity.”
What the resolution actually does
Rather than treating assistive technology as a niche health issue, the resolution formally integrates it into some of the world’s biggest development frameworks: the Sustainable Development Goals, Universal Health Coverage, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing. In practice, that means it calls on governments to:
- Build sustainable, affordable supply chains for assistive products
- Develop national strategies and priority assistive product lists
- Invest in research, innovation, and workforce training
- Strengthen data collection on need and access
- Ensure access continues in humanitarian, conflict, and disaster settings
- Meaningfully involve people who use assistive technology in the policies that affect them
Introducing the draft resolution to the Assembly, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, put it plainly: assistive technology “is not a luxury; it is a right and an economic necessity.”
Why it matters for our field
For ISPO’s global community of clinicians, researchers, educators, and users, this resolution gives new international weight to arguments many of us have made for years: that access to well-fitted, well-supported prosthetics, orthotics, and other assistive products is not a peripheral service but a foundation for education, employment, health, and independent living. It also puts fresh emphasis on exactly the kind of workforce development, outcome measurement, and service-delivery research that ISPO exists to advance.
Where this connects to our own work
The timing lines up meaningfully with our “I AM P&O” campaign for International Prosthetics and Orthotics Day 2026, themed around People. Both the resolution and the campaign make the same point in different registers: behind every device is a person, and behind every policy commitment needs to be real, sustained access on the ground.
As Member States now turn to implementation, ISPO will be watching and looking for ways to support that work through our research, education, and advocacy. We’ll share more as national and regional follow-up takes shape.
Learn. Exchange. Support. Innovate.
You can read the full resolution here
