Tunisia Leads the Way in Promoting Rights of People with Disabilities
Tunisia, a pioneer in the Arab and African world in defending and promoting the rights of people with disabilities, particularly since 2005 with the Geneva agreements in Switzerland, continues to work towards ensuring the application of the rights of people with disabilities recognized in the law and ensuring equity, especially in access to employment and vocational training. The creation of a new fund, already initiated with other financing means in 2024 and 2025, for the years 2026 and 2027, is part of this effort.
A New Fund for the Promotion of People with Disabilities
On the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, celebrated on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, the Assembly of People's Representatives recently took a significant step towards inclusion by approving the creation of a fund for the promotion of people with disabilities. This initiative aims to boost the economic and social integration of a population estimated at 1.749 million people in Tunisia, or about 15.5% of the total population. The new fund will have the mission of financing targeted actions in the areas of training, employment, entrepreneurship, as well as economic, sports, and cultural integration.
Funding and Management of the Fund
According to Article 32 of the Finance Law for 2026, the funding will come mainly from a deduction of 1% applied to indemnities paid following traffic accidents and work accidents. This deduction will be made by withholding at source by insurance companies, mutual funds, the Guarantee Fund for Victims of Traffic Accidents, or social security funds. The fund will also be fed by donations. An additional credit of 5 million dinars from the National Employment Fund has been allocated to the existing financing line dedicated to people with disabilities. Article 34 approved extends the duration of this financing line until December 31, 2027. The operational management of the fund will be ensured by the fund itself, under the authorization of payment of the Minister in charge of Social Affairs.
Rights of People with Disabilities Anchored in Law
The rights of people with disabilities are anchored in the Orientation Law No. 2005-83 of August 15, 2005. This law establishes the promotion of people with disabilities as a national responsibility, covering a wide range of essential rights such as prevention and early detection, special education and rehabilitation, employment and accessibility, and participation in cultural and sports life.
Strengthening Employment Rights
Continuous efforts aim to strengthen the right to employment. Initially set at 1% for companies with 100 workers or more, a bill has been considered to increase the employment quota to 2% in these establishments. Furthermore, it is planned to generalize the employment obligation to companies with 50 to 99 employees, thus guaranteeing a position for at least one person with a disability. Tunisia has also formalized its international commitment by ratifying the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2008, thus consolidating its obligation to align its legislation with international standards on equality and non-discrimination.
Challenges and Opportunities
Despite these advances, statistics from the National Institute of Statistics (INS) highlight a major challenge: out of the 1.749 million people with disabilities, only 10% hold a disability card, revealing a persistent gap in recognition and effective access to rights and services. This new fund, backed by evolving legislation, represents a major opportunity for Tunisia to accelerate inclusion and ensure the full participation of people with disabilities in society.
Previous Initiatives
For reference, a program included in the 2024 Finance Law had already allocated 5 million dinars from the National Employment Fund to benefit people with disabilities. This funding had allowed for the granting of interest-free loans of up to 10,000 dinars each, intended to finance activities in all economic sectors. Then, in 2025, funding of 5 million dinars was mobilized, also from the National Employment Fund, to support people with disabilities, with zero-rate loans for activities in various economic sectors, under agreements with the Tunisian Solidarity Bank. Article 22 of Law 2024-48 of December 9, 2024, which stipulates the conditions for granting this fund, has been extended until December 31, 2027, and is no longer limited to the single calendar year 2025, favoring wider and extended access among the target population.
