Recommendations for the Humanitarian Response Plan for 2024
prepared by the National Assembly of Persons with Disabilities based on the results of the Forum "Inclusion and Participation: Persons with Disabilities at the Center of Humanitarian Response Policy in Time of War, September 12-13, 2023, Kyiv)
The National Assembly of Persons with Disabilities of Ukraine (hereinafter referred to as the NAPDU) summarized the information expressed by more than 150 representatives of organizations of persons with disabilities, organizations of parents raising children with disabilities, organizations of older people, organizations of civilians and military who suffered and acquired disabilities during the war, international organizations and government agencies following the Forum "Inclusion and Participation: Persons with Disabilities at the Center of Humanitarian Response Policy in Time of War".
In particular, the Forum participants emphasized the need to continue working with all stakeholders to advocate for the inclusion of disability issues in Humanitarian Response Plan for 2024.
Among the existing barriers to access to humanitarian aid for people with disabilities and older persons in 2022-2023 are the following:
- lack of understanding by humanitarian institutions of the needs of people with various types of health disorders;
- low level of coordination between humanitarian organizations and organizations of people with disabilities, clusters;
- a formal approach to participation, involvement and inclusion of organizations of people with disabilities in the processes of developing, adopting, implementing and improving decisions on humanitarian response, recovery, etc;
- Low coverage of rural residents with targeted humanitarian aid, including cash assistance;
- Lack of proper support for people with disabilities and the elderly who are forced to live in institutionalized settings due to the loss of housing;
- Inadequate organization of social services in communities; social and medical rehabilitation of persons with disabilities, including civilians and military personnel who became disabled as a result of the war;
- Lack of information in accessible formats on humanitarian assistance, including cash assistance; accessible housing for IDPs with disabilities; bomb shelters, shelters; failure to consider accessibility issues during the reconstruction and construction of buildings and structures; lack of accessible transport in communities, including social transport; inadequate provision of basic needs: access to water, hygiene products, food, medicines, assistive technologies, etc.
Generalized recommendations based on the Forum's work to improve the situation:
Disability issues should be mainstreamed in the work of all humanitarian actors. An inclusive approach in communities should be implemented from needs and risk assessment to program planning and implementation.
Disability awareness should be raised among representatives of clusters, UN agencies, international and national humanitarian partners to better understand the risks faced by persons with disabilities during emergencies and hostilities; understand the potential and contribution of organizations of persons with disabilities; overcome stereotypes in the provision of humanitarian assistance; save human and financial resources; and plan inclusive community recovery.
Improving the information of people with disabilities and the elderly (especially those living in small communities and rural areas) through assistive technologies, using different ways of presenting information during the provision of humanitarian assistance, including cash assistance. Provide technical support to healthcare and educational institutions (computers, tablets, programs, etc.) to provide services to people (children) with disabilities, the elderly, and people with certain functional disabilities, including sensory disorders.
Persons with disabilities and the elderly should be a constant focus of humanitarian response (including cash assistance) regardless of their identity (place of residence, degree of health loss, age, IDP status, etc.) and taking into account that most of them live below the poverty line, receiving pensions/state social benefits of USD 50-70 per month. USD per month. The amount of cash assistance should be increased for people with disabilities. Particular attention should be paid to people living in rural areas and the "vulnerable among the vulnerable."
The collection and analysis of statistical data on persons with disabilities and older persons (disaggregated by gender, age, disability characteristics (group, subgroup, nosology) is required at all stages of the humanitarian response, in the work of all clusters, UN agencies, international and national organizations. Reliable statistical data will allow for a prompt response to needs, the ability to make decisions based on evidence, more effective planning of assistance, including financial assistance, and high-quality monitoring of the situation, as well as ensure targeted and economical use of funds and protect against corruption risks. Since the beginning of February 2022, the Ukraine lacks real statistics on the target group.
Organizations of persons with disabilities should be included in all processes of developing policies and strategies for humanitarian response and actively participate in their implementation, monitoring and improvement.
In addition, organizations of people with disabilities (including organizations of women with disabilities and women raising children/youth with disabilities) are not only recipients of assistance, but also active participants in the humanitarian field, so their institutional and organizational support is important and necessary.
Support for organizations of people with disabilities, government institutions that provide services for children and youth with disabilities, including intellectual and mental disabilities, and severe disabilities. Support for safe spaces that take into account the needs of children with disabilities, in particular on the basis of Inclusive Resource Centers; support for the introduction of inclusive forms of education.
Adoption of an accessibility policy by all humanitarian actors, namely: a) compliance with international and national accessibility standards during the construction and reconstruction of medical facilities, schools, kindergartens, social institutions, and transport infrastructure; b) compliance with information accessibility standards; ensuring digital accessibility for the entire target group; c) change in procurement policy - refusal to purchase transport and medical equipment inaccessible to people with disabilities; d) support and development of community-based services for
Particular attention should be paid to ensuring equal access to health care services, including reproductive health care and emergency medical care, for women with disabilities, older women, women living in rural areas and frontline communities. Ensuring architectural accessibility during the reconstruction, construction, and rehabilitation of medical facilities; applying an inclusive approach to the procurement of medical equipment, taking into account the needs of women with disabilities.
Supporting inclusive access to community-based services for people with disabilities, the elderly, civilian and military victims, including medical rehabilitation services, and gender-sensitive mental health support. Development of social rehabilitation, in particular for civilians and military who have lost their sight.
Support for the implementation of a systematic approach to the provision of social services to people with disabilities and their families throughout their lives at the community level. Training and support for social workers working in communities. Ensuring the procurement of social transport for villages and small communities, low-floor school buses.
Ensuring the basic needs of women and men with disabilities, children and youth with disabilities in institutionalized settings; providing access to water, sanitation, hygiene products, food, information, medical care; providing targeted assistance to IDPs who have lost their homes and are forced to live in institutionalized settings. Creating minimum stocks of essential foodstuffs in institutionalized facilities, places of group residence for people with disabilities and the elderly.
Support for independent living for people with disabilities.
Support for the implementation of inclusive education; day care centers for children and youth with disabilities.
Supporting the work of mobile medical teams to provide qualified medical care; mobile teams to provide administrative and financial services in remote villages, frontline areas, and communities liberated from occupation.
Providing support for shelters and places of temporary group residence for families with people with disabilities; creating modular towns accessible to people with limited mobility; restoring destroyed or damaged housing stock, taking into account the needs of people with disabilities; arranging abandoned housing (in rural areas) for the needs of people with disabilities, developing infrastructure for the restoration of abandoned villages.
The National Assembly of Persons with Disabilities is ready for further cooperation with all interested organizations, clusters, and UN agencies to discuss specific recommendations for the provision of humanitarian assistance and community recovery in certain areas.
Contact persons:
Nazarenko Victoria. Secretary General of NAIU, e-mail: 0937711060,
Larysa Baida, Program Director of the NAIU, tel. 0503348640
Email: office-naiu@ukr.net
The National Assembly of People with Disabilities of Ukraine has more than a hundred organizations representing the interests of people with various disabilities. Since the first days of the war, organizations have been providing humanitarian aid to people with disabilities and the elderly from different regions of Ukraine: food, hygiene products, assistive technologies, medicines, and non-food essentials. The organizations have created shelters (5 regions), spaces for children (various locations in 18 regions), and provide counseling and psychological support. The NAIU works with civilians and military personnel who have acquired disabilities as a result of the war, advocates for the protection of the rights of people with disabilities in various areas, and more.
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Recommendations to the Humanitarian Response Plan for 2024
following the Forum of organizations of people with disabilities
held on 12 and 13 September 2023 in Kyiv, Ukraine
Following the Forum "Inclusion and Participation: People With Disabilities at the Center of Humanitarian Response Policy in Wartime", the National Assembly of People with Disabilities of Ukraine (NAPD) summarized the information shared by over 150 representatives of organizations of people with disabilities (OPDs), organizations of parents who raise children with disabilities, organizations of older people, organizations of military servicemen and civilians who were injured and became disabled in wartime, international organizations and government agencies.
The Forum participants emphasized the need for continued engagement with all stakeholders to advocate for the mainstreaming of disability considerations into the Humanitarian Response Plan for 2024.
They identified barriers to the access to humanitarian aid that people with disabilities and older people encountered in 2022 and 2023, such as:
- the lack of understanding on the part of humanitarian actors of the needs of people with different types of health conditions;
- low coordination between humanitarian organizations and organizations of people with disabilities, clusters;
- a formal approach to ensuring the participation, involvement and inclusion of organizations of people with disabilities in the processes of development, adoption, implementation and improvement of decisions regarding humanitarian response, recovery, etc;
- low coverage of people living in rural areas with targeted humanitarian aid, specifically with cash-based assistance;
- the lack of appropriate support for people with disabilities and older people who have to stay in institutional facilities due to the loss of their own housing;
- inadequate organization of the delivery of social services in communities; social and medical rehabilitation for persons with disabilities, including civilians and military servicemen who became disabled as a result of the war;
- the lack of information in accessible formats about humanitarian aid, including cash-based assistance; accessible housing for internally displaced persons with disabilities, air-raid shelters, temporary accommodation shelters; failure to consider accessibility aspects in the course of reconstruction and construction of buildings and structures; lack of accessible transportation in communities, including social transportation; inadequate provision for basic needs, such as access to water, hygiene items, food supplies, medicines, assistive technical devices, etc.
Summary of recommendations proposed by the Forum participants to improve the situation
Disability considerations should be a cross-cutting theme in the activities of all humanitarian actors. An inclusive approach should be implemented in communities starting with needs assessment to the planning and delivery of programs.
It is essential to raise awareness about disability issues among representatives of clusters, UN agencies, international and national humanitarian partners to ensure a deeper understanding of the risks faced by people with disabilities during emergencies and hostilities, to provide insights into the potential and contributions of organizations of people with disabilities; to help overcome stereotypes in the delivery of humanitarian aid; to facilitate the efficient use of human and financial resources; and to promote inclusive planning of recovery work in communities.
It is important to improve information for people with disabilities and older people (particularly those in smaller communities and rural areas) using assistive technologies and different information formats in the course of providing humanitarian assistance, specifically cash-based assistance). Technical support should be given to healthcare facilities, educational facilities (computers, tablets, software, etc.) to provide services to people (children) with disabilities, older people, people with specific functional impairments, specifically sensory impairments.
People with disabilities and older people should be a constant focus of attention in humanitarian response (including in the cash-based assistance strand), regardless of their identity (place of residence, degree of health loss, age, IDP status, etc.) and considering that most of them live below the poverty line with pensions/state social benefits ranging from 50 to 70 USD per month. The size of cash-based assistance for people with disabilities should be increased. Particular attention should be given to people who live in rural areas, as "the most vulnerable among vulnerable groups".
It is necessary to collect and analyze statistical data on people with disabilities and older people (disaggregated by gender, age, disability characteristics (category, sub-category, nosology) at all stages of humanitarian response, in the course of work of each cluster, UN agency, international and national organization. Reliable statistical data will enable actors to respond promptly to the needs, make evidence-based decisions, and plan supports more effectively, specifically cash-based assistance. Such data will facilitate high-quality monitoring, ensure targeted and efficient use of funds, and minimize risks related to corruption. Since February 2022, no accurate statistical data on this target group has been available in Ukraine.
It is important to include organizations of people with disabilities in all processes related to the development of policies and strategies in the field of humanitarian response. They should take an active part in their implementation, monitoring and improvement.
Importantly, organizations of people with disabilities (including organizations of women with disabilities, women who raise children/young people with disabilities) are not merely recipients of aid, but also active players in the humanitarian field, and therefore should be provided with meaningful institutional and organizational support.
Additionally, support should be given to organizations of people with disabilities and public agencies that provide services to children and young people with disabilities, specifically with intellectual and mental disabilities, severe disabilities. Similarly, it is important to support safe spaces considering the needs of children with disabilities, specifically those located at Inclusive Resource Centers, and facilitate the implementation of inclusive education formats.
All humanitarian actors should adopt an accessibility policy that requires: (a) adherence to international and national accessibility standards during construction and reconstruction of healthcare facilities, schools, kindergartens, social facilities, transport infrastructure; (b) adherence to standards of accessible information, ensuring digital accessibility for the entire target group; (c) changes in procurement policies, i.e. moving away from procurement of transport vehicles, medical equipment, etc. that is not accessible for people with disabilities; (d) support for and development of community-based services for the entire target group and others; (e) respect for human dignity and human rights in publicity materials published in social networks about the delivery of humanitarian aid to children and young people with disabilities, women and men with disabilities, older people.
Particular attention should be paid to ensuring access for women with disabilities, older women, women who live in rural areas and frontline communities to healthcare services, specifically reproductive health, and to emergency medical care at the community level. It is important to ensure architectural accessibility during the reconstruction, construction and renovation of healthcare facilities; use an inclusive approach to procurement of medical equipment taking into account the needs of women with disabilities.
It is important to support inclusive access to community-based services for people with disabilities, older people, civilians and military servicemen who have been injured, including to medical rehabilitation and mental health services, in a gender-sensitive way. It is necessary to develop social rehabilitation, e.g. for civilians and military servicemen who have lost their eyesight.
It is important to support the development of a community-based systemic approach to the delivery of social services to people with disabilities and their families on a lifelong basis. Training and support should be provided to community social workers. It is important to ensure the procurement of social transportation for villages and smaller communities, low-floor school buses.
It is necessary to provide for the basic needs of men and women with disabilities, children and young people with disabilities who are staying in institutional care facilities, to ensure access to water and sanitary facilities, hygiene items, food supplies, information, and healthcare; provide targeted assistance to internally displaced persons who have lost their own accommodation and currently have to live in institutional care facilities. It is necessary to create a minimum stock of staple foodstuffs and first necessities at institutional care facilities and group housing places where people with disabilities and older people are accommodated.
It is necessary to support independent living settings for people with disabilities.
It is important to support the implementation of inclusive education and daycare centers for children and young people with disabilities.
It is essential to support the work of mobile medical teams to help provide qualified medical care; mobile teams that provide administrative and financial services in remote villages, frontline areas and de-occupied communities.
It is important to support temporary accommodation shelters and temporary group housing spaces that host families who have people with disabilities, to build modular settlements that are accessible for people with reduced mobility; take into account the needs of people with disabilities when restoring destroyed or damaged housing stock; use abandoned houses (in rural areas) and fit them out for the needs of people with disabilities, develop infrastructure to restore abandoned villages.
The National Assembly of People with Disabilities is looking forward to further cooperation with all interested organizations, clusters, and UN agencies to discuss specific recommendations regarding humanitarian aid and specific aspects of the recovery of communities.
contact person
Viktoria Nazarenko
v.n.nazarenko@ukr.net
Larysa Bayda
bayda.naiu@gmail.com
Email: office-naiu@ukr.net
The National Assembly of People with Disabilities of Ukraine includes more than 100 organizations created by people who represent the interests of people with different types of disabilities.
From the first days of the war, our member organizations have been providing humanitarian aid, including food supplies, hygiene products, assistive devices, medicines, essential non-food items, to people with disabilities and older people from different regions of the country. Our member organizations have used their facilities to arrange temporary accommodation shelters (5 regions) and child-friendly spaces (different locations in 18 regions). They offer counseling and psychological support.
The NAPD works with civilians and military servicemen who became disabled as a result of the war, advocates for the rights of people with disabilities in various areas of life, etc.
