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Including people with disabilities in crisis response

Inclusion
International

The Charter on the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action was drawn up in 2016 by Humanity & Inclusion in conjunction with more than 70 partners. The charter already has more than 200 signatories, including 25 States, the European Union, several UN agencies, humanitarian organisations and disabled people’s organisations.

Homepage of the Humanitarian Disability Charter website

Homepage of the Humanitarian Disability Charter website | source: Humanitarian Disability Charter

Launched in May 2016, the Charter calls on all organisations involved in humanitarian response to improve their practices in order to better include people with disabilities. Its primary aim is to ensure that people with disabilities have access to humanitarian response and are consulted or actively involved in decision-making processes concerning their lives.

 

This charter is a response to the fact that, in emergencies such as earthquakes and armed conflicts, people with disabilities often find it very hard to access humanitarian aid: if someone uses a wheelchair they may not be able to reach a food distribution point; someone who is hard of hearing might miss information about a humanitarian service; an NGO may not know of the existence of a Down Syndrome child if their family has hidden them away because, for cultural reasons, their condition is seen as shameful. These are just some of the obstacles people with disabilities face in accessing humanitarian aid.

 

The Charter has made people much more aware of these regularly occurring situations. More than 200 organisations, institutions, States, etc., involved in emergency response have agreed to end this injustice. The next step is to apply the principles set out in the Charter.

 

The inclusion of people with disabilities must be one of the main criteria funding bodies use when allocating money to emergency response. NGOs need to adapt their actions and take into account people with disabilities in their programmes. Many organisations and institutions in the humanitarian sector have signed the Charter. Now we need to see concrete changes in the field,” explains Camille Gosselin, HI’s humanitarian advocacy officer.

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“When you have a disability, you can’t just get up and run for safety.”
© partenaire HI
Inclusion Rehabilitation

“When you have a disability, you can’t just get up and run for safety.”

Life can be harrowing for people with disabilities in war-torn Syria, as they are exposed to violence and discrimination. HI and its local partners are helping Faisal to live like any other father.

“We sleep in the car as it seem the safest place so far”
© T. Nicholson / HI
Emergency

“We sleep in the car as it seem the safest place so far”

Elyas (Not his real name) is member of HI team in northwest Syria. He and his family have experienced the earthquake. They are safe but still under shock.

 Increase of use of landmines driven by Russia, Myanmar and non-state armed groups Explosive weapons

Increase of use of landmines driven by Russia, Myanmar and non-state armed groups

The Landmine Monitor 2022 reports a high number of casualties caused by landmines - including improvised mines and explosive remnants of war - for the seventh year in a row. The Monitor recorded 5,544 casualties in 2021. 75% of them were civilians. This high figure is mainly the result of increased armed conflicts and contamination with improvised mines since 2015. The use of landmines by the Russian and Myanmar armies, as well as by non-state armed groups in five countries, are the main factors of a sharp global increase of the use of these weapons in 2022.

States will gather in Geneva from November 21th to 25th for the 20th annual Mine Ban Treaty conference. As we celebrate the 25 years of the Ottawa Treaty, HI urges States to pressure parties to conflict to end the use of these barbaric weapons and to support the funding of victims assistance that is shrinking despite growing needs and high casualty rates in recent years.

Read the full report.