The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated inequalities and barriers to social inclusion for people with disabilities. These experiences of social exclusion have been feltto an even greater extent by women with disabilities and under-represented groups of people with disabilities, leading to a range of effects on the operations and priorities of OPDs. To address a critical gap in the evidence base, the Disability Inclusion Helpdesk carried out a rapid assessment of the role of OPDs during the pandemic, and how the pandemic has affected OPDs’ operations and priorities.
Humanitarian actors recognize the lack of standard practice on the inclusion of older people and people with disabilities in humanitarian response as a current and critical gap in the sector. In recent years, the humanitarian sector has begun to more intentionally address these challenges. In response, the IRC has developed this Inclusive Client Responsiveness Guidance, which aims to address gaps in the IRC’s Client Responsive Programming specifically to strengthen inclusion of people with disabilities and older people. The Guidance consists of three sections to support staff in strengthening inclusion of people with disabilities and older people using the IRC’s Client Responsiveness approach:
Key concepts for designing inclusive feedback mechanisms such as accessibility and reasonable accommodation, to ensure that barriers are addressed, and feedback mechanisms are designed to be accessible to all.
Selection and design of inclusive feedback mechanisms that foster diversity and inclusion.
Monitoring access to feedback mechanisms of people with disabilities and older people through appropriate data collection and analysis.
The guidance also includes a set of resources for practical implementation, which are referenced throughout the document
This year’s Intersessional Meetings are particularly important given efforts to build upon the established baseline for the implementation of the Oslo Action Plan (OAP).
The sessions included:
Preliminary Observations of the Convention's Committees
Thematic Session – Mandate of the President
Thematic Session - Victim Assistance: Establishing or Strengthening a Centralised Database
Thematic Session: Integrating Gender and the Diverse Needs of Affected Communities in Operational Planning and Prioritization
Informal Presentation of Requests for Extensions to be considered by the Nineteenth Meeting of the States Partie
Thematic Session: Completion and Sustainable National Capacities
Thematic Session: Mobilising Resources Towards a Mine-Free World