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This overview gives actions for the disabled persons and their household, for governments, for healthcare workers , for disability service providers and for the community to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Published at the same time as the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Guidelines on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action, this report aims to support their uptake and promote learning by example. This report presents 39 short case studies on inclusive practices for persons with disabilities in humanitarian action and disaster risk reduction (DRR). It is designed for humanitarian stakeholders with limited experience of working with and for persons with disabilities, as well as for organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) planning to engage in humanitarian action and DRR. The report draws lessons from field practices, but does not provide technical guidance. The IASC Guidelines are the reference document to seek in-depth theoretical and technical information

The case studies focus on:

• Inclusive disaster risk reduction and preparedness
• Collecting and using disability disaggregated data for assessments and programming.
• Participation of persons with disabilities and their representative organizations in humanitarian response and recovery
• Removing barriers to access humanitarian assistance and protection.
• Influencing coordination mechanisms and resource mobilization to be inclusive

The evidence presented in this report was identified in 2017-2018 through a desk review of publicly available reports and internal documents on projects implemented by CBM, HI and IDA members, as well as their partners and affiliate members. Field visits to Lebanon, Jordan, Kenya, Nepal, and the Philippines conducted in 2018 also informed the case-study collection and documentation

This product narrative was developed to support identification of activities that will increase and sustain access to appropriate, affordable wheelchairs. The market landscape, context, assessment and challenges is described. Four strategic approaches to market shaping are made.

A policy brief concerning safe and inclusive urban mobility is presented. Safe and inclusive mobility is not currently a universally recognised concept in international human rights instruments and development framework. The relationship of various global legal & policy frameworks with safe and inclusive urban mobility is discussed including:

• The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
• The 2030 Sustainable Development Goals
• The New Urban Agenda
• The UN Road Safety Decade of Action

Recommendations for improved policies and actions are made:

• Recommendation 1: Recognise safe and inclusive mobility as a transversal issue for realising the Sustainable Development Goals and human rights
• Recommendation 2: Agree strong political and financial commitments to improve the safety of roads with a focus on vulnerable road users
• Recommendation 3: Provide safe and accessible urban mobility infrastructures applying universal design approach, all along the mobility chain
• Recommendation 4: Enhance participatory and evidence-based policy-making for a better governance of road safety, mobility management and urban planning

For teenagers in developing countries, there is no greater threat to life than road traffic crashes: road crashes are the leading cause of preventable death of youth aged 15 to 29 years, and the second cause for those aged 5 to 14 years.(6) The risks are even higher for children with disabilities, who are also more exposed to non-fatal injuries from road crashes.

In this thematic brief, the importance of inclusive urban planning is emphasised. Urban mobility and road safety challenges discussed include: safe crossing points over roads and collective transport (particularly buses). 

Two case studies are provided: Safer access to school for disabled students in Kenya; and School access and pedestrian safety improvements in Democratic Republic of Congo

Recommendations for improvements in policies and actions are given under the headings:

• 1. Strengthening the policy and financial framework for safe and inclusive mobility, based on evidence and through participative processes
• 2. Removing the barriers to safe and accessible mobility, focusing on: the built environment; transport and vehicles; people

Disabled people are disproportionately affected by disasters owing to mobility difficulties in evacuation, lack of access to information or services and discrimination. When disasters occur, constraining external factors, such as unsafe roads and lack of accessible pedestrian and transport routes, create additional difficulties for coping with the situation. Developing cities vulnerable to disasters also are likely to have a greater proportion of the population with a disability, due to past injuries.

In this thematic brief, the importance of inclusive urban planning is emphasised. Urban mobility challenges relating to disasters discussed include: inaccessible disaster shelters, inaccessible means of evacuation and lack of information.

Case histories provided are: Building back better in Haiti; a focus on inclusive access and mobility; and Improving universal accessibility in Kathmandu, Nepal

Recommendations for improvements in policies and actions are given under the headings: 

1. Strengthening the policy and financial framework for safe and inclusive mobility action, based on evidence and through participative processes

2. Removing the barriers to safe and accessible mobility, focusing on: the built environment; transport and vehicles; people

Refugees, asylum seekers, and other migrants with disabilities are not properly identified and do not enjoy equal access to services in reception centres in Greece.  On the basis of research carried out in mainland Greece and on the Greek islands in October 2016 and January 2017, and follow-up phone interviews in December 2016 and January 2017, Human Rights Watch found that asylum seekers and refugees with disabilities are not properly identified in Greece, in part because of a rushed registration process and the need for better guidance for staff. Without an adequate understanding of the scale and needs, aid agencies cannot respond effectively. Problems with equal access to water and sanitation services, food distribution, shelter, and health care including mental health and psychosocial support are reported.

In her report, the Special Rapporteur provides an overview of the activities undertaken in 2016, as well as a thematic study on access to support by persons with disabilities. The study includes guidance for States on how to ensure the provision of different forms of rights-based support and assistance for persons with disabilities, in consultation with them. In preparing the study, the Special Rapporteur convened a regional expert consultation in Addis Ababa in September 2016 and analysed the responses to a questionnaire sent to Member States, national human rights institutions, agencies of the United Nations system, civil society organisations and persons with disabilities and their representative organisations. As at 5 December 2016, she had received 114 responses. 

The purpose of these Guidelines is to assist humanitarian actors and communities affected by armed conflict, natural disasters and other humanitarian emergencies to coordinate, plan, implement, monitor and evaluate essential actions for the prevention and mitigation of gender-based violence (GBV) across all sectors of humanitarian response. Part One presents an overview of GBV, provides an explanation for why GBV is a protection concern for all humanitarian actors and outlines recommendations for ensuring implementation of the Guidelines. Part Two provides a background to the ‘thematic areas’ in Part Three. It also introduces the guiding principles and approaches that are the foundation for all planning and implementation of GBV-related programming. Part Three constitutes the bulk of these Guidelines. It provides specific guidance, organized into thirteen thematic area sections: camp coordination and camp management; child protection; education; food security and agriculture; health; housing, land and property; humanitarian mine action; livelihoods; nutrition; protection; shelter, settlement and recovery; water, sanitation and hygiene; humanitarian operations support sectors. The importance of cross-sectoral coordination is highlighted in each section. It is also recommended that sector actors review the content of all thematic area sections. The Guidelines draw from many tools, standards, background materials and other resources developed by the United Nations, national and international non-governmental organizations, and academic sources. In each thematic area there is a list of resources specific to that area, and additional GBV-related resources are provided in Annex 1. The importance of indicators being disaggregated by sex, age, disability and other vulnerability factors is highlighted throughout.