The photo shows the IASC Guideline on the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action.

Result 1 - Global Guidelines & Coordination Mechanisms 

Background

An important step in supporting humanitarian actors at headquarter and field level is the institutionalisation of recognised guidelines on inclusion.

The entry into force of the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Right of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2008 initiated a shift towards a human rights-based approach to disability.

However, the World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) in Istanbul in 2016 noted once again that persons with disabilities continue to face marginalisation, discrimination and stigmatisation, and that access to humanitarian services is hampered by various barriers

Therefore, the Charter on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action, developed in the run-up to the WHS by more than 70 actors, reaffirms the determination to make humanitarian action more inclusive and can be endorsed by state and non-state actors.

IASC Guidelines

„[E]stablish and increase both the inclusion of persons with disabilities and their meaningful participation in all decisions that concern them.“ (IASC 2019: 17)

To focus efforts on the part of humanitarian actors, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), which was established following the 2016 WHS, published the Guidelines on the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action in 2019.

The Guidelines were developed in a participatory process with more than 600 stakeholders, among them United Nations (UN) agencies, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), and were financially supported within the framework of our project.

The Guidelines include key actions that humanitarian actors should take to address the needs and rights of persons with disabilities.  

Launch of the IASC Guidelines in 2019

The photo shows the podium at the launch of the IASC Guidelines 2019.

Globaler Launch der IASC-Leitlinien in New York (November, 2019). Veranstaltungsraum mit dem Backdrop der Veranstaltung.

Our agenda has brought us to New York to launch the Guidelines in 2019. The finalisation was an important step towards establishing standardised guidelines to operationalise inclusion in programmes and projects.

To promote the dissemination and use of the IASC Guidelines in non-English speaking countries, a Spanish and French version was published in 2021.

Furthermore, our participation in several international events, such as Humanitarian Network and Partnerships Week (HNPW) in 2020 and 2021, supported the promotion of the Guidelines.   

Panel Discussion in 2021

“What a great insight into Syrian setup and voices from the field and the different perspectives on progress around disability inclusion, 2 years after the IASC Guidelines’s launch, all combined in one panel.”

Participant of the CHA Event

Graphic Recording of the event "Implementation of the IASC Guidelines in Syria" in cooperation with the CHA in 2021

2 years after the launch, we had the opportunity to organise the panel discussion on "Implementing the IASC Guidelines in Syria" together with the Centre for Humanitarian Action (CHA). In the context of the Syrian crisis, donors, humanitarian staff and self-advocates shared their experiences of implementing the IASC Guidelines.  

The accessible graphic recording visualising the key messages, the video recording with English subtitles and additional event material are available here.

Operationalisation of the IASC Guidelines

In the near future, we will accomplish the next milestone. With our support, the Disability Reference Group Working Group 1 (DRG WG 1) will soon publish face-to-face and online packages for the operationalisation of the IASC Guidelines.

Further, we are launching six e-learning modules on inclusive humanitarian action.

The IASC Guidelines provide (sector-specific) recommendations on the inclusion of persons with disabilities in humanitarian action. These are reflected in the above-mentioned tools and address all humanitarian actors, their partners and organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs).