<p class="wp-block-paragraph">When disability advocates met this summer in Lebanon, they saw first-hand the difficulties facing persons with disabilities in refugee camps and zones of conflict in the Middle East</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">A
statement by World Council of Churches, made available to OpenLife stated that &#8220;Poor
accessibility and lack of reasonable accommodation in the refugee camps have
been a major challenge and deserve the attention of the relevant
authorities,&#8221; said Anjeline Okola Charles, the programme executive
secretary for the World Council of Churches&#8217; Ecumenical Disability Advocates
Network (WCC-EDAN).</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">&#8220;There
were hardly any kinds of services that might support persons with disabilities
and help them to cope with such circumstances. Meanwhile, for those who were
unfortunate not to escape these conflict zones, they are injured and simply
abandoned,&#8221; she said.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">EDAN&#8217;s
international reference group and regional coordinators welcomed recent passage
by the UN Security Council of ;its first-ever resolution on protection of
persons with disabilities in conflict.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">&#8220;This
is a very powerful statement from the Security Council,&#8221; said Charles.
&#8220;It has been a great concern to persons with disabilities. Despite being
among the groups that were most affected by all kinds of humanitarian
emergencies, persons with disabilities have been the most invisible. Persons
with disabilities often face greater challenges in accessing and benefiting
from humanitarian actions, owing to the wide existence of discrimination, lack
of support services and the absence of proper training and awareness among
humanitarian actors.&#8221;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The
United Nations Security Council resolution, passed unanimously on 20 June, is
aimed to protect people with disabilities in armed conflict and ensure that
they have equal access to humanitarian assistance.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The resolution
stresses the disproportionate impact of armed conflict and related humanitarian
crises on persons with disabilities and the overall responsibility of parties
to armed conflict to protect civilians, says Charles. It recalls the
universality of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all people. It also
recognises the importance of contributions by persons with disabilities to,
among other things, conflict prevention, reconstruction, peacebuilding, and
addressing the root causes of conflict. The resolution also notes the
particular barriers faced by persons with disabilities in accessing justice.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">EDAN has
long called for ;efforts to ensure that persons with disabilities are
included in the goals, targets and indicators of national policies and action
plans relating to humanitarian action and disaster risk management.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Although
she finds the resolution encouraging, there remains much to do, says Charles.
United Nations agencies, church agencies, governmental and non-governmental
organizations and, in particular, donors need to work in partnership to
discharge their own responsibilities and to ensure that humanitarian responses
and actions are inclusive of and accessible to refugees with disabilities.</p>

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