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This South Sudan Protection Analysis Update places a thematic focus on protection risks facing persons with disabilities and older persons.

The most recent census reported that 5% of the population in South Sudan, or approximately 424,000 people, were living with a disability. However, the current number is likely to be much higher, possibly reaching 1.2 million people, or 16% of the population, according to the global estimate. Data in South Sudan also suggests a rapid increase in the number of older persons each year, mounting to 5.1% of total population with this percentage expected to continue to steadily increase.

People with disabilities and older people in South Sudan are often excluded and face multiple challenges in accessing essential services and protection. Decades of civil war have increased the number of older people and persons with disabilities who are being left behind as they are unable to flee due to chronic health conditions and mobility impairments. People who have managed to flee the violence are often faced with barriers accessing protection and health services. Therefore, older people with and without disabilities in South Sudan face higher risks and greater challenges in getting the necessary humanitarian assistance.

Prepared by the Global Disability Innovation Hub and partners for the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Medellín, Colombia is the sixth and final case study city under the Global Disability Innovation Hub (GDI Hub) led and UK Aid funded AT2030 Inclusive Infrastructure sub-programme. Colombia’s second largest city, Medellín is well-known for its progress in urban development in the last 20 years, moving forward from its violent history. Medellín has been designated a district of innovation and is known for innovative urban projects such as its cable cars and electric escalators that connect higher altitude, low-income communities on the peripheries of the city. This case study explores the current state of accessibility and inclusion in the city for persons with disabilities and helps understand whether such urban innovations are inclusive for all the city’s residents.

Medellín is home to nearly 80,000 persons with disabilities and Colombia does have strong legal frameworks in place to support persons with disabilities. However, this case study found that the numerous laws and regulations are not always well implemented and there is also a need to consider more diverse disabilities in city planning and design.

The research took place in 3 phases between December 2022 and May 2023, combining both virtual and face to face approaches. Phase 1 focused on understanding the current state of accessibility through desk-based research and interviews. Phase 2 captured the lived experience of persons with disabilities through interviews, photo diaries and co-design activities. Phase 3 then synthesised the findings, running multiple in-person workshops to validate and create actions towards the creation of more inclusive environments. Thematic analysis was applied to understand the research data, identifying key themes across three different stakeholder groups of People, Policy, and Practice.

The themes identified span across daily life for persons with disabilities including, poverty, transport, housing, healthcare, public spaces and recreational activities. Quotes from participants are interwoven throughout the report and strengthen the concluding actions. The report recognises what has worked in Medellin as well as areas for improvement.

Two publications, developed with the University of Cape Town, aim to provide development practitioners and organisations with the tools they need to ensure that a disability inclusive approach to disaster risk reduction can be integrated into all community development programmes.

A situation analysis reviews the situation and outlines the extent to which DIDRR is infused within CBID. The study points out the barriers in place and highlights the opportunities available to facilitate the process of mainstreaming DIDRR, which means building DIDRR into the core of community development programmes as opposed to these disciplines operating in separate spheres. This mainstreaming will not only ensure greater preparedness for disasters, but also protection of the gains made in community development programmes.

A major outcome of this study is a new set of guidelines for practice on the mainstreaming of DIDRR in community development: Mainstreaming DIDRR in CBID – Guidance for Planning and Practice

The aim of this research was to undertake a Country Capacity Assessment (CCA) to inform a more integrated approach to Assistive Technology (AT) provision in England. The results aim to support policymakers in identifying actions to strengthen service delivery to better meet disabled people’s needs, improving outcomes for AT users and reducing inefficiencies in the current approach. This report was prepared by Global Disability Innovation (GDI) Hub for the Disability Unit in the Cabinet Office His Majesty’s Government (HMG). The research was undertaken from November 2022 to March 2023 and led by the Global Disability Innovation (GDI) Hub, which is the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Collaborating Centre on AT access, using WHO tools in the Assistive Technology Assessment (ATA) suite

An estimated 21 million children with disabilities live in the Middle East and North Africa. Each of them – like every child in the world – has the right to be nurtured and supported through responsive care and education, to receive adequate nutrition and social protection, and to enjoy play and leisure time. Too often, however, such rights are denied. The reasons vary. They include stigma, lack of accessible services, institutionalization and physical barriers, but the consequences are sadly consistent. When marginalized from society, the chances for these children to survive and thrive are diminished, along with their prospects for a bright future.

Monitoring the inclusion of children with disabilities in development efforts has long been held back by the lack of reliable and comprehensive data. Recent years, however, have seen renewed efforts to fill these data gaps. The development of new data collection tools has resulted in a substantial increase in the availability and quality of data on children with disabilities, fostering new analyses and contributing to increased knowledge generation.

This report is a testament to these efforts. It includes internationally comparable data from four countries in the Middle East and North Africa and covers 18 indicators of child well-being – from nutrition, health and education to protection from violence, exploitation and discrimination. It also presents global and regional estimates of children with disabilities drawn from more than 1,000 data sources, including 95 from countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

The report’s objective is to promote the use of these data to make children with disabilities in the region more visible, bringing about a fuller understanding of their life experiences. It offers evidence crucial to decision-making to fulfill obligations, both moral and legal, to give every child an equal chance in life.

This technical brief was developed to support specialists in countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to select which early detection tools best fit their needs and context by comparing various tools that have been used in theregion and lessons learned in using and adapting those tools to local contexts.

This labour marker assessment has identified how the Pakistan market works and the possible entry points, so that youth with disabilities, are included in the benefits of growth and economic development. Initially the report focuses on analysing the macro-economic indicators and the sectoral contribution to GDP, followed by evaluation of labour market data, in order to identify employment rates and employment propensity of sectors and sub-sectors and to identify sectors with highest absorptive capacity. Priority subsectors were selected on the basis of the employment rate, GDP contribution and government prioritization. Value chain analysis of the selected priority subsectors was conducted to analyse possible entry point for people with disabilities in various stages of the value chain by identifying required skills and education. Subsequently, education stocks and flows were analysed to assess whether the demand of skills was coherent with the supply of skills. Existing systems were reviewed to assess the inclusion of people with disabilities in government initiatives and programmes. Likewise, government-formulated polices and legislation were appraised to understand their contribution in improving lives and safeguarding the rights of people with disabilities, followed by analyses of existing labour market information systems. Shortcomings and limitations in policies were identified, emerging issues were highlighted, and recommendations were provided to improve implementation of existing policies.

Explosive ordnance (EO) puts one in two people in Syria at risk of death and injury and impedes the delivery of crucial humanitarian assistance. However, the extent of EO in Syria and its devastating impact is not sufficiently known or discussed among donors and humanitarian actors. International humanitarian mine action (HMA) actors operating in Syria for over ten years have come together to address this gap, sharing data and insight from their work on the ground. They produced a report to highlight the extent of EO contamination in Syria; its devastating impact on people, vital infrastructure and provision of humanitarian assistance; the crucial activities performed by humanitarian mine action (HMA) actors; and the action required to address this issue

This case study builds a picture of the current state of inclusion and accessibility in the built environment and infrastructure in Solo, Indonesia, through engaging local stakeholders and communities and exploring the understanding of and potential for inclusive design to address some of the current barriers to inclusion.

Surakarta (known as Solo) is a city in Central Java, Indonesia, with a population of 557,606 people. The city has a strong history of inclusion, recognised as a great place for persons with disabilities in Indonesia to live. Solo city is a leader for inclusion in Indonesia, demonstrated through city regulations on disability inclusion that pre-date the ratification of the UNCRPD. There is great progress in implementing inclusive environments in Solo with numerous accessible infrastructures, but the city would benefit from a more holistic approach, support by a robust inclusive design strategy that integrates inclusion, sustainable and resilience to ensure long-term progress. One of the aspects that makes Solo unique is its strong community relationships, community-led approaches and leadership from the community is active and valued. This is also supported within urban governance, facilitating opportunities from grassroots leadership and inclusive participation for persons with disabilities.

The research identified that to create more inclusive environments, the physical infrastructure, planning and design is crucial, but equally important are the processes of inclusion and participation. Creating robust mechanisms of community participation and leadership is fundamental to ensure long term sustainable and continued progress to being a more inclusive city.

Across Indonesia, action towards inclusive cities is supported through the work of the Inclusive Mayor’s Network in Indonesia demonstrating country-wide leadership. The findings of this case study will serve Solo as a city but also have relevance for other cities across Indonesia and support the implementation of best practices found in Solo. 

This is the third of six case studies of the Inclusive Infrastructure programme analysing the state of accessibility and inclusive design in low-resource contexts around the world.