World Down Syndrome Day 2024
For World Down Syndrome Day 2024 we launched a call for Health Equity for people with disabilities.
13th World Down Syndrome Day Conference
The 13th World Down Syndrome Day Conference took place over two days in New York City.
This year, we launched an exciting new project and campaign about health equity for people with Down syndrome.
The event was attended by people with Down syndrome, their families, representatives from organisations and governments, and many health professionals.
People with Down syndrome were actively involved in planning and speaking at the conference, and we had speakers from many countries sharing their ideas and experiences.
Day 1:
On the first day, we all met at a venue in New York to discuss the important issue of health equity.
Everyone shared their views and worked together to explore solutions.
Day 2:
On the second day, the conference moved to the United Nations Headquarters.
Speakers talked about their personal experiences with health equity and shared ideas to improve healthcare for people with Down syndrome around the world.
Launching the Health Equity Project.
The health equity project was officially launched during the conference at the United Nations.
People with Down syndrome from different countries spoke about their own experiences with healthcare.
Supporters, government officials, UN representatives, and other experts also shared their knowledge and good practices.
As part of the project, we launched a global consultation to learn more about health equity.
This included a survey and focus groups to gather input from people around the world.
The findings will be published in a report, which will help the Down Syndrome International network push for policy changes in different countries.
Celebrating the first World Down Syndrome Awards.
In 2023, we created the first World Down Syndrome Awards to celebrate projects and achievements that make life better for people with Down syndrome.
These awards highlight work that follows the principles of inclusion and human rights.
The first winners were announced in September 2023 and received their awards during the Conference in March 2024.
The winning projects are:
- Students for Inclusion, University of Malaga (Spain).
- “INployable”, Canadian Down Syndrome Society (Canada).
- La Casa de Carlota (Spain).
- “Make Your Voice Heard!”, Trisomie 21 (France).
- Down Syndrome Advisory Network, Down Syndrome Australia (Australia).
This year’s conference and awards were a powerful reminder of what we can achieve when we work together to create a more inclusive and equitable world for people with Down syndrome.
Learn more about World Down Syndrome Day:
World Down Syndrome Day.
On 21 March each year, we speak up about the things that matter to people with Down syndrome around the world.