DRG Newsletter - February 2022

By IDA

 - February 28, 2022

UN (Blue), Disability Movement (Purple, building on the Wethe15 Campaign colours), NGO/broader Humanitarian Civil society actors (Red), and the principles of Coordination, Integration, Inclusion and Diversity of identities and backgrounds of members. On the right hand side: The acronym "drg" in small letters (less aggressive and more stylish than capital letters) refers to the most commonly used name of the group (Disability Reference Group) with the full official name of the group underneath it: Reference Group on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action.

Monthly Newsletter | Issue 18 - February 2022

A class of students one of whom is in a wheelchair

Reference Group on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action

Dear DRG members,

Welcome to the 18th edition of the DRG Newsletter!

Many of us have been busy during the past month preparing for and participating in the Global Disability Summit (GDS), and we are glad to announce that 174 Commitments were made under the theme "Situations of Crisis and Conflict". In this edition of our newsletter we’ve included some links to the recordings of the numerous humanitarian-focused events that many of us contributed to at the Summit. This was an important opportunity for governments, UN entities, and civil society to make commitments for promoting the rights of persons with disabilities affected by humanitarian emergencies. We must now ensure that we work together to maintain the momentum generated through the GDS and use the power of our collaboration to support the realization of the commitments made.
 
In this newsletter, in addition to sharing information about the GDS, we are also sharing some interesting new reports and guidance documents. As always, we hope you find this useful, and encourage you to share with us any updates you would like to see included in our next newsletter!

Elham Youssefian (International Disability Alliance), Christian Modino Hok (CBM Global) and Kirstin Lange (UNICEF)

© Christian Tasso

Global Disability Summit - Feb 16th & 17th

 

The Global Disability Summit took place on February 16th and 17th, 2022. The recordings are already available on the Norwegian Ministry Website.

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GPC Commitments and Recommendations Ahead of the Global Disability Summit

Persons with disabilities experiencing humanitarian crisis are at elevated risk of rights violations due to attitudinal, institutional, physical and communication barriers to safety and life-saving services during times of socio-economic breakdown and suspended or dismantled services. In 2022, over 41 million persons with disabilities are expected to need humanitarian assistance.

Ahead of the Global Disability Summit (GDS) that took place on 16-17 February 2022, the Global Protection Cluster (GPC) published its commitments and recommendations for humanitarian partners.

>> Link to the Full Paper

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DRG GDS Side Event on Promoting the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Affected by Humanitarian Emergencies

The DRG organized a side event on promoting the rights of persons with disabilities affected by humanitarian emergencies, to complement the call to action launched in the lead-up to the Summit.
The recording of the event is now available.

>> Link to the Recording
>> Link to the Call for Action

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Call for Action to Ensure Protection and Safety of Persons with Disabilities in Ukraine - EDF

With Russia invading Ukraine, particular attention must be paid to those who are most at risk – including women, children, blind and deafblind persons, persons with psychosocial and intellectual disabilities, and persons with high support needs. Therefore, the European Disability Forum (EDF) has released a call for all parties to ensure the protection and safety of persons with disabilities in Ukraine.

>> Link to the Call for Action

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Report on Lessons Learned from Partnerships with Organisations of Persons with Disabilities - CBM Global

CBM Global partners with organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) in its international work, country-level advocacy, and grassroots programming. During 2020-2021, CBM Global conducted a listening exercise across 14 countries and 32 organisations to see what is working well and what could be strengthened in their partnership approach with OPDs. The findings from these exercises are presented in the enquiry report entitled “We have a key role now”: lessons learned from partnerships with organisations of persons with disabilities."

>> Link to the Report

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Call for Expression of Interest: Consultations with Special Rapporteur on Situation of Persons with Disabilities During Armed Conflict

UN Special Rapporteur on Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Professor Gerard Quinn, is conducting their next thematic study on the situation of persons with disabilities during armed conflict.

If you are a person with disability, family member or disability rights advocate with first-hand experience and information on situation of persons with disabilities during conflict, you can express your interest to participate in consultations by filling the form below no later than Thursday, March 17th.

Please note that while the survey is only in English, interpretation in French, Arabic and Spanish and international sign will be provided in consultations. Consultations will be organized at regional levels and online, with support by the United Nations Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights, International Disability Alliance, International Committee of the Red Cross, and Human Rights Watch.

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Report on Abuses Against Children with Disabilities in Armed Conflict around the world - Human Rights Watch

Children with disabilities often face an increased risk of harm during armed conflict and crises. Since 2015, Human Rights Watch has documented the impact of armed conflict and crises on children with disabilities in Afghanistan, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Gaza Strip in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, South Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. This report summarizes presents these findings to highlight the actions needed to protect and include children with disabilities in situations of armed conflict.

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IASC Guidelines on Humanitarian Action in Swahili

Light for the World has coordinated the translation of the IASC Guidelines on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action into Swahili. The Guidelines set out essential actions that humanitarian actors must take in order to effectively identify and respond to the needs and rights of persons with disabilities who are most at risk of being left behind in humanitarian settings. Light for the World implemented a consultative process, including with OPD participation, to validate this Swahili translation.
 

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Launch of the Inclusive Education Resources and Toolkit - Save the Children

Save the Children Italy and Save the Children Sweden are pleased to invite you to the global launch of the Inclusive Education Resources and Toolkit on Tuesday 1st March, 9:00 EST / 14:00 GMT (UTC).

They have pulled together a brand-new Toolkit with the most relevant resources and tools existing from Save the Children and Others proposing concrete education solutions for all children.  

This webinar will be held via Zoom. International Sign Interpretation and live subtitles will be available throughout the event. The session will be recorded for those who will not be able to join and will be made available through SC channels. 

>> Link to Register to the Event
>> Link to the Inclusive Education Resources & Toolkit

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Case Study on Humanitarian Response in South Sudan - Handicap International
The second accessible case study "From Commitment to Action: Towards a Disability-Inclusive Humanitarian Response in South Sudan?" has now been published. This publication has been produced within the framework of the project ‘Phase 2 – Leave No One Behind! Mainstreaming Disability in Humanitarian Action’, which is implemented jointly with Handicap International (Humanity & Inclusion) Germany, Christian Blind Mission Germany (CBM) and Ruhr University Bochum’s Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict (IFHV).

>> Link to the Study
>> Link to the Executive Summary of the Study
>> Link to Other Accessible Formats of the Study
 

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Report on Identifying Children with Disabilities - SDDirect Disability Inclusion Helpdesk
UK Aid and Inclusive Futures Disability Inclusion Helpdesk has released a response to a query on current practices for early identification of impairments amongst pre-school age children in low-income countries. It summarises the evidence on effective systems for identifying children with disabilities in schools in low-income countries, for the purpose of providing assistive devices or referring children and adolescents to specialist health services.

>> Link to the Report

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Zero Project Conference on Accessibility

The Zero Project Conference –  ZeroCon22 – is a hybrid event that took place during three days, from February 23 February 25 and saw contributions from world leaders, speakers from renowned organizations, as well as innovations from around the world on improving accessibility for persons with disabilities. Recording of the sessions are available.

>> Link to the Recordings

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Launch of the Photovoice Study on the Barriers and Enablers to the Social, Economic, and Political Inclusion of Women with Disabilities in Nepal

The Swiss Disability and Development Consortium (SDDC) is pleased to announce that on March 8th, the Photovoice study on the Barriers and enablers to the social, economic, and political inclusion of women with disabilities in Nepal will be launched together with an associated photography exhibition entitled “My lens, my reality”.
 
The launch will take place on the occasion of International Women’s Day and within the context of the CRPD session and review of Switzerland in Geneva. Due to Covid 19 restrictions, it is possible that the event will take place online.
 
- When: March 8th 2022 from 2:00 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.
- Where: Palais des Nations, Geneva (or online)
- Accessibility is guaranteed

>> Link to the Flyer

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Please share any feedback you may have on the content and format of this Newsletter with us. You can send any material you want to be included in the next issues of the Newsletter by the last Monday of the month via email rg.disabilityinclusion [at] gmail.com ()

 

 

 

 

 

 

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