Welcome to the virtual exhibition area of the HNPW 2024 "Inclusion" area of common concern! The “Inclusion” area of common concern (AOCC) at the HNPW allows humanitarian stakeholders to come together to learn more about processes and tools, celebrate successes and discuss remaining challenges towards an inclusive and quality humanitarian response. Sessions typically focus on the inclusion of diverse parts of the affected populations, such as older persons, women and girls, youth, persons with diverse SOGIESC, indigenous people, persons with disabilities. They also allow to discuss related issues such as mainstreaming inclusion into a variety of other complementary cross-cutting areas of work, such as AAP, protection and localization. This space is the one-stop shop for information and resources relating to the Inclusion AOCC. Please scroll down for:
the programme of the HNPW 2024 "Inclusion" Area of Common Concern (with links to each session description, location ad registration) the slides decks and other resources presented in the sessions (coming soon) relevant reports and other information to foster the understanding on how to leave no one behind in humanitarian action (see the sections below about persons with disabilities, PSEA, women and girls, older people, youth, people leaving with SOGIESC (LGBTIQ+) and MHPSS) . This virtual exhibition area is accessible 24/7. All the highlighted mentions below (in italics) are clickable for links.
In case you would like to get more information, propose additional resources, or be put in touch with relevant experts, please do not hesitate to reach out to Isabelle de Muyser in OCHA (demuyser-boucher@un.org).
* * * * * * Check out the full list of 10 exhibitions and 25 sessions in this flyer
MAKE YOUR SESSIONS ACCESSIBLE !! Individuals with disabilities, whether vision, cognitive, hearing, or mobility, interact with technology differently and might require different accommodations to be able to join and participate in virtual meetings. In order to ensure the accessibility of your session(s), please consult some basic tips [here ].
* * * * * * HNPW OPENING SESSION: STATEMENT OF Ms. VIRGINIA GAMBA, SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UN SECRETARY GENERAL FOR CHILDREN IN ARMED CONFLICTS, SPEAKING ABOUT THE NEED FOR INCLUSIVE HUMANITARIAN ACTION: VIDEO OTHER RESOURCES: About inclusion of persons with disabilities: At least 15% of the world population (approx.1,3 billion people) experience significant disability, and most of them live in low to middle income countries. Persons with disabilities are not only disproportionately impacted by conflicts, disasters, and other emergencies, but also face barriers to accessing humanitarian assistance. At the same time, global commitments and standards all emphasize how persons with disabilities are also active agents of change. VIDEO General guidance: This short guide gathers the most important things you need to know about disability inclusion in humanitarian action, including practical tools and resources to take the right steps. Has your organization already endorsed the HUMANITARIAN DISABILITY CHARTER ? See the list of the 250+ signatories, among which 32 Member States plus the European Union, 15 UN entities and numerous international and local NGOs and civil society organizations. OCHA STAFF : please visit the OCHA Hub Thematic Pages on disability and Inclusion with more resources: OCHA Disability & Inclusion - Home sharepoint.com
P ersons with disabilities in armed conflict:
About theSecurity Council Resolution 2475 (2019) , first-ever resolution calling upon Member States and parties to armed conflict to protect persons with disabilities in conflict situations and to ensure they have access to justice, basic services and unimpeded humanitarian assistance. Children with disabilities in Armed Conflicts - discussion paper published by the Office of Ms. Virginia Gamba, Special Representative of the Secretary General for Children and Armed Conflicts Making HNOs, HRPs (and HNRPs) inclusive of persons with disabilities:
Training Package: ‘Introduction to disability-inclusive humanitarian action’ :
A vailable in French or English on Kaya Connect and Disaster Ready. This training course, consisting in six modules, will allow you to gain knowledge and skills on the rights-based understanding of the disability, on the IASC Guidelines and their Must Do Actions, on the meaning of inclusive humanitarian action and its key approaches, accessibility and universal design. One module focusses specifically on inclusive accountability to affected populations.
An additional package was developed for trainers to facilitate learning, reflections and discussions around disability-inclusive humanitarian action with a focus on programming: : ‘Introduction to disability-inclusive humanitarian action (for trainers) ’ - The content is relevant across different humanitarian sectors and contexts of intervention.
About PSEA: The IASC supports a vision of a humanitarian environment in which people caught up in crises feel safe, respected, and can access needed protection and assistance without fear of sexual exploitation or abuse (SEA) by any aid worker and in which aid workers themselves feel supported, respected, and empowered to deliver assistance free from sexual harassment. TheIASC PSEA 2022-2026 Strategy lays out three commitments: Operationalization of a Victim and Survivor Centered Approach, Organizational Culture, and Strengthening Country Capacity. This year, the Executive Director WFP, Cindy McCain is the IASC PSEAH Champion. Read more about her Championship here . About inclusion of women and girls:
It is essential that humanitarian actors acknowledge women’s and girls’ roles as first responders and agents of change, as well as the best representatives of their needs in humanitarian crises. Particular effort should be made to reach marginalized women and girls, including women with disabilities, indigenous women, elderly women, and women of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity, engaging them as active partners, and building on their needs and capacities. Impacted by conflict, violence and natural disasters, women and girls in emergencies are at heightened risk of gender-based violence and trafficking, unintended pregnancy, maternal morbidity and mortality, unsafe abortions, and child, early and forced marriage. The Gender Handbook for humanitarian action provides practical g uidance for ensuring that the specific needs, capacities and priorities of women, girls, men and boys are identified, that assistance targets the persons and groups most in need, and that women’s leadership is promoted and enabled. Beyond Hunger: the gendered impact of the global hunger crisis - This report by Plan International presents evidence on the gendered impacts of the current global hunger crisis from eight of the countries most affected. The causes and consequences of food insecurity are closely entwined with gender – the most food insecure countries are also the most unequal. Gender inequality plays a role in how food is produced and consumed, shapes the strategies people employ to cope, and influences the manifold impacts of hunger and food insecurity on the protection and wellbeing of those affected.
About inclusion of older persons : By 2050, the number of persons aged 60 and over will have grown to 2 billion people, or 22%. By then, older persons will begin to outnumber children aged 14 and under. Just over 80% of the world’s older persons will be living in low- and middle-income countries. Globally, the “oldest-old” (80 and above) constitute the fastest growing age segment of the older population. However, while at high risk in conflict and displacement situations, older people are often overseen or not able to access humanitarian services. TheHumanitarian Standards for older people and people with disabilities (available in 9 languages) - provide practitioners and organizations with clear actions that can be taken to protect, support and engage older people and people with disabilities and provide guidance to identify and overcome barriers to participation and access in diverse contexts, and at all stages of the humanitarian programme cycle .
No One Is Spared: Abuses Against Older People in Armed Conflict . : Older people are often at heightened risk of abuses during armed conflict, as evidenced by this 2022 report of Human Rights Watch, which describes patterns of abuses documented by Human Rights Watch between 2013 and 2021 against older people in 12 countries affected by armed conflicts (Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Mali, Mozambique, Nagorno- Karabakh, Niger, South Sudan, Syria and Ukraine). The report also draws on the serious protracted violence in two English-speaking regions of Cameroon, the violence experienced by older ethnic Rohingya in Rakhine State, and the experiences of older refugees in Lebanon displaced by conflict in Syria. A summary and easy-to-read version are available here . “I Used To Have A Home”: Older People’s Experience of War, Displacement, And Access To Housing in Ukraine [EN/RU/UK] : a report from Amnesty International about heightened risks faced by Older Persons who are unable to access housing in displacement following Russian invasion. The report documents how older people often remain in or are unable to flee conflict-affected areas, exposing them to harm and dangerous living conditions in severely damaged housing. Those who do flee often cannot afford to cover rental costs, while thousands have had to stay in overstretched state institutions, which do not have enough staff to provide the necessary level of care. I sleep on an empty stomach - This report from HelpAge International provides key recommendations for improving the inclusion of older people in humanitarian nutrition planning and response. Lack of knowledge about the nutritional needs of older people, assumptions about their productivity, social and economic marginalisation, and the prioritisation of younger populations can all contribute to their systematic exclusion from emergency nutrition response planning and implementation. A blog highlighting the key actions practitioners can take to include older people in nutrition responses can also be foundhere .Disaster Risk and Age Index : ranks 190 countries on the disaster risks faced by older people, and highlights gaps in data sets and points to appropriate policies. VIDEO
Some short free trainings that might be useful for HNPW participants:
About inclusion of youth: Young people make up 41 per cent of the global population. In many humanitarian settings, adolescents, youth and children constitute more than 50 per cent of the population in need. One quarter of the global youth population live amid violence or armed conflict and young people are increasingly affected by natural disasters – made more intense and frequent because of climate change. The support young people receive in humanitarian crises has a lasting impact not only on their own recovery process, but also on the future of humanity. UNICEF’s Adolescent Kit for Expression and Innovation is a package of guidance, tools, activities, and supplies to support and bring about positive change in adolescents’ lives through arts and innovation, especially those who are affected by humanitarian crises. The UNICEF Adolescent Data Portal (ADP) brings together a wealth of global, regional and national-level data on adolescents, with measures closely tied to the Sustainable Development Goals.
About inclusion of people with diverse SOGIESC (LGBTIQ+): In 2011 the United Nations Human Rights Council recognized that discrimination and violence on the basis of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) violates human rights. Discrimination, violence and exclusion continue often to be experienced by people with diverse Sexual Orientations, Gender Identities and Expressions, and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC, aka LGBTIQ+ people) before, during and after disasters and conflict. The manifestations are often many and profound, undermining people’s potential to develop resilient and dignified lives, and to survive and recover from shocks. Nothing About Us Without Us: Diverse SOGIESC Inclusion : a think piece relevant for all practitioners interested in making their practice more inclusive--it offers insight into power dynamics, the ways diverse SOGIESC organisations and people are already engaged in humanitarian relief, and the ways powerful institutions can (and should) share power.
About MHPSS: The experience of an armed conflict or a natural hazard can significantly impact the mental health and psychosocial well-being of a person, with immediate as well as long-term consequences. WHO estimates that, in areas affected by conflict, one person in five is living with some form of mental disorder, from mild depression or anxiety to psychosis. These disorders often impact their ability to function or can lead to stigma, discrimination, and exclusion. Access to appropriate care and support therefore isn’t just a health issue, it can be a matter of survival. Check out the webpage of the IASC MHPSS Reference Group for more information about ongoing work and useful guidance
[IDM1] Updated selon email Nina 02 April
[IDM2] Updated selon email Brooke 26 march
[IDM3] Updated as per Hester#&39;s email, but shorter version needed
[IDM4] Updated as per Erika#&39;s email of 20 03 2024