UN India and UNESCO launch guidelines to make Durga Puja celebrations in West Bengal more accessible and inclusive

The United Nations in India and UNESCO have launched new guidelines to make the upcoming Durga Puja celebrations in West Bengal more accessible and inclusive.

‘Enhancing Universal Accessibility during Cultural Festival 2015 Edition Durga Puja in Kolkata’ are a set of standard operating procedures developed by UN in India and UNESCO after extensive consultations with festival organizers, accessibility experts and organizations of persons with disabilities and with with technical support of Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur.

The guidelines draw on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and India’s Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (2016). They aim to position persons with disabilities not just as beneficiaries but as active partners in shaping accessibility measures.

Accessibility challenges go beyond disability alone — they also affect older persons, pregnant women, and others who face barriers at different stages of life. According to India’s 2011 census, 2.2% of the population are persons with disabilities, while 8.6% are older persons.

In 2021, UNESCO added Durga Puja in Kolkata to its Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The inscription described the festival as “the best instance of the public performance of religion and art, and a thriving ground for collaborative artists and designers."

Durga Puja – which kicks off on 28 September -- breaks the divides of class, religion and ethnicities as people visit Puja pandals (structures) to admire the installations. With more accessible venues, the pandals should not only allow persons with disability to be part of the festivities but also be active participants.

The guidelines, grounded in the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and aligned the United Nations Convention on Rights of people with Disabilities, offer Durga Puja committees clear, practical steps to ensure everyone can fully participate in the celebrations, including:

• Ensuring physical infrastructure such as pandals, ramps, and sanitary facilities are accessible
• Providing accessible communication and information, including sign language, Braille, and audio formats
• Making programming inclusive to engage persons with disabilities as active participants
• Developing emergency preparedness and safety protocols to protect festival-goers
• Training volunteers to build awareness, respect, and support skills
• Changing attitudes to foster inclusion and dignity in every interaction

“As we advance toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it is important that the call to “leave no one behind” also resonates throughout our cultural life. When persons with disabilities join fully in festivals like Durga Puja, the celebration becomes richer and more meaningful for the entire community. I am proud that UN agencies have joined hands with Organisations of Persons with Disabilities to offer these helpful guidelines. Together we can help harness India’s truly incredible cultural heritage as a powerful force for inclusion - not just here, but globally.”

Shombi Sharp, UN Resident Coordinator in India

“Durga Puja embodies the living heritage of Bengal. To safeguard it for the future, we must also ensure it is accessible for all. This initiative brings the principles of UNESCO’s Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage and the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities into action, showing how cultural life can be both vibrant and inclusive.”

Tim Curtis, Director and Representative, UNESCO Regional Office for South Asia

“When Durga Puja was inscribed on the UNESCO List, it indicated that we have a continued and shared responsibility towards the respect that has been given to us. The important key would be inclusion, community participation, expression of art and culture in different forms and also to be able to transcend divides between society and economy.” 

-Sri Santanu Basu IAS, Principal Secretary, Department of Information and Cultural Affairs, Government of West Bengal

UN in India and UNESCO hope that, following this year’s Durga Puja, the new guidelines will be used for other cultural and religious festivals taking place across the country.

The initiative makes the case for accessibility as both a human right and a driver of community vitality and economic growth. When festivals are accessible, they enrich participation, spark stronger community bonds, and contribute to social and cultural resilience.

The guidelines emphasise accessibility is good design for all – ramps that aid wheelchair users also help parents with strollers and the elderly; wayfinding signage supports both persons with disabilities and visitors unfamiliar with the area; seating benefits anyone in need of rest.

 

As Durga Puja gets set to return to the streets of West Bengal this year, the launch of these guidelines calls upon puja committees, authorities, volunteers, and communities to weave accessibility into their plans and actions. This effort resonates with the global call of the SDGs to “leave no one behind.”