NCPD Joins Global Coalition Calling on WHO to Treat Gun Violence as a Public Health Emergency

National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities partners with nearly 100 organisations from 30+ countries in landmark campaign for WHO action on firearm violence

Johannesburg, 10 February 2026 – The National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) today confirmed its participation as a partner in the Global Coalition for WHO Action on Firearm Violence, a newly launched international alliance of nearly 100 organisations across more than 30 countries demanding that the World Health Organisation treat gun violence as a preventable public health crisis.

The Coalition, which will officially launch on the 10th of February 2026 via a global webinar, is backed by research from the Geneva Graduate Institute, the University of Cape Town, and the University of San Diego, among others. Its findings are stark: despite a strong early focus in the 2000s, the WHO has steadily deprioritised gun violence over the past fifteen years – even within frameworks designed to prevent violence against women and children.

For the NCPD, the decision to join was not difficult. Gun violence is one of the leading drivers of permanent disability in South Africa, and the numbers tell a devastating story.

The Human Cost in Numbers

According to the latest available SAPS crime statistics, firearms account for 42% of all murders and 58% of attempted murders in South Africa. An average of 34 people are shot and killed every day. Research published in the South African Medical Journal found that gunshot wounds have overtaken traffic accidents as the leading cause of traumatic spinal cord injury in parts of the Western Cape, while Gauteng rehabilitation data shows assault-related spinal injuries—driven largely by gunshot and stab wounds—at levels unmatched anywhere else in the world. South Africa recorded close to 26,000 homicides in 2024 alone.

For every person killed, many more survive with life-changing injuries—paralysis, amputations, chronic pain—and face a healthcare system and built environment that is not designed to support them.

A Disability Rights Imperative

Dr. Siva Moodley, Researcher, Advocacy and Disability-Rights Strategist at the NCPD, said: “Being acutely aware of the devastating impact firearm violence has on our communities, particularly regarding the increasing number of people acquiring permanent disabilities due to gunshot wounds, the NCPD is both willing and delighted to join the Global Coalition for WHO Action on Gun Violence as a partner. The Coalition’s Joint Call aligns closely with our mission to protect the rights of persons with disabilities and to advocate for a more inclusive and safer society. We are particularly supportive of the focus on strengthening rehabilitation systems and advancing research into the long-term health impacts of firearm morbidity.”

Moodley added, “The statistic regarding spinal cord injuries in the Western Cape is a sobering reminder of why our collective action on gun violence is necessary. We also recognise that persons with disabilities are often more vulnerable to violence and face significant barriers in the continuum of care and rehabilitation.”

About the Coalition

The Global Coalition for WHO Action on Firearm Violence was established in 2025 following collaborative research that analysed more than 3,000 World Health Assembly resolutions alongside WHO publications, meeting reports, and interviews with public health experts. Nine South African organizations—including Gun Free South Africa, the Trauma Society of South Africa, Lawyers for Human Rights, and Sonke Gender Justice—are already members. With the NCPD’s participation, the disability rights sector now has a seat at the table.

The Coalition’s Joint Call on the WHO includes demands to reaffirm leadership on firearm violence prevention, strengthen rehabilitation and trauma care systems, address gender-based and youth firearm violence, protect health workers exposed to gun violence, and champion a dedicated World Health Assembly resolution on firearms.

NCPD’s Mission and Alignment

The NCPD is a non-profit organisation established in 1939 that plays an integral role in shaping South Africa into a country where persons with disabilities have access to equitable opportunities and rights. Its mission centres on advocating, lobbying, and raising awareness for and with persons with disabilities in achieving collaborative social and economic inclusion through innovation, partnerships, research, development and services. Gun violence intersects directly with this work: every gunshot survivor who acquires a disability enters a system already stretched thin, facing barriers to rehabilitation, accessible housing, employment, and community reintegration. By joining this Coalition, the NCPD is drawing a clear line between violence prevention and disability rights – insisting that the two cannot be separated.

The NCPD’s partnership also reunites the organisation with Gun Free South Africa, which marks its 30th anniversary this year. Founded in 1995 in the aftermath of South Africa’s democratic transition, GFSA has spent three decades building the evidence base and public advocacy infrastructure that made campaigns like this possible.