This brief discusses the issue of leadership and political participation of women with disabilities and the UN Women's response to enabling their participation.

The Enabling environment guidelines include good practices and recommendations to help guide and support all UN entities to make progress on a better work environment. The “Enabling environment guidelines for the United Nations system” focuses on three thematic areas: workplace flexibility, family-friendly policies, and standards of conduct. The “Supplementary guidance” covers also the areas of recruitment and talent management and includes a section on implementation.

The Guide supports key stakeholders to help facilitate the full inclusion and meaningful participation of women and girls with disabilities. It aims to assist in understanding of the intersectionality of human rights and provides practical recommendations for the implementation and monitoring of two key Conventions: the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

The Gender Accessibility Audit Toolkit helps practitioners and civil society identify architectural, infrastructural, information and communication barriers that prevent women and girls with disabilities from fully exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms. This toolkit can be used by local governments and service providers, such as social security, health care, education services, etc. in inclusive local planning, budgeting, and the provision of services. It can also guide representatives of civil society and gender equality and disability rights advocates, and women and men with disabilities to advocate for the elimination of identified barriers.

The System-wide Strategy on Gender Parity balances accountability with incentives, recognises different starting points and challenges, and provides positive tools to empower and encourage staff and managers alike.

The brief sheds light on the barriers faced by women with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities in accessing justice, and explores a series of recommendations to close the justice gap.

The Guidance Note seeks to encourage an intersectionality perspective in the context of policy development, programming and project implementation as a means of strengthening the UN system’s efforts to eliminate racial discrimination and strengthen the protection of minorities.