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The Civil Society Forum (CSF), a cornerstone event of the Global Disability Summit (GDS), concluded the first day of the summit with resounding success. Marked by the unanimous adoption of the Civil Society Declaration, the forum underscored a collective commitment to advancing disability inclusion.
You can find below some insights and takeaways from day one of our Phase 4 -Leave No One Behind! (LNOB) team:
HI Booth: A Hub for Dialogue and Partnership
The booth of Handicap International/ Humanity & Inclusion (B6) emerged as a space for engagement, drawing visitors from across sectors. Presentations and discussions on the Inclusive Humanitarian Action (IHA) and LNOB Project sparked dialogue with representatives from Organizations of Persons with Disability (OPDs), International NGOs, local NGOs, and UN agencies. Key meetings included exchanges with International Disability Alliance (IDA), Executive board members of African Disability Forum (ADF), Gold Education South Sudan, Youth and Women for Opportunities Uganda, and the UN Global Disability Fund, among others. These interactions reinforced the urgency of cross-sector collaboration to drive inclusion.
Panel discussions on OPDs role on leading inclusive disaster and humanitarian efforts & rights of women and girls with disabilities
A highlight of the day was the well-received panel “From Aid to Action: Persons with Disabilities Leading Inclusive Disaster and Humanitarian Efforts“, featuring Ulrike Last, HI’s Policy & Development Lead & Co-chair of DRG, and Mauot Luis Alier Anyang from the South Sudan Association of the Visually Impaired, also Disability Inclusion Coordinator of our Phase 4-LNOB project. During the panel one of Ulrike’s key messages was: “Don’t stop financing disability inclusion in humanitarian coordination. Don’t stop financing disability inclusion in life-saving programming!“ Also learnings and promising practices that showcase how persons with disabilities can be actors for inclusive humanitarian action and DRR in their communities were shared.
Beside, Sophie Pécourt, Making It Work Gender and Disability Project Coordinator at HI, contributed to the panel “The Rights of Women and Girls with Disabilities” advocating for intersectional approaches to gender and disability. Materials at the HI booth further amplified this message, showcasing grassroots leadership of women-led OPDs.
Takeout of the day
During the day some inspirational quotes were shared:
Dr. Nawaf Kabbara, IDA President:
“This summit must mark the beginning of a new era!”
Ola Abualghaib, Head of Technical Secretariat of UN Global Disability Fund:
“We have to come together because we cannot afford to lose” AND “Disability funding must be part of the remaining cake, not aside from it.”
The takeout of the day of our LNOB team was the recognition that OPDs are not additional to the civil society but a key actor of civil society, and that we need to strengthen collaboration of all actors of civil society and their allies, including collaboration across gender, disability and age.
We are excited of the coming days of the GDS and the interaction at the HI booth B6, and will continue sharing the best practices of disability inclusion in humanitarian action.
