"Crisis, Conflict and Disability: Ensuring Equality"

Shafallah Declaration on Crisis, Conflict, and Disability

Doha, Qatar

We, the participants of the 5^th Shafallah International Forum …

Recognize and support the launch of the One Billion Strong, a global organization dedicated to awareness, rights and education, which aims:

1. To garner the support of all governments, ensuring countries ratify to truly and meaningfully implement the CRPD through education, awareness and monitoring;
2. To make the facts and issues surrounding the one billion persons with disability in the world today, a sustained mainstream global focus. The aim of such focus is to make the media content inclusive, create awareness, change perceptions and educate the world’s general public about these facts and issues;
3. To identify and raise awareness of the poverty issues as well as issues of disability to make a real difference to the lives of persons with disabilities.

We, the participants of the 5^th Shafallah International Forum …

Recognize that disability is an overlooked part of emergency preparedness, response and recovery programs;

Emphasize that the principles in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities should underpin all humanitarian efforts, particularly the principles of non-discrimination, equality and inclusion;

Stress the need for disability to be seen as a cross-cutting issue in all phases of humanitarian action;

Commit to the following:

1. Making inclusive humanitarian action a priority.

• Humanitarian actors should ensure that emergency preparedness, response and recovery programs are inclusive, rights-based and respond to the needs of people with disabilities and their families and caregivers, with particular attention to women, children, youth and the elderly.

• Funding for humanitarian action should be invested in accessible and inclusive infrastructure and programs.

1. Promoting the active participation of people with disabilities and disabled persons organizations at all levels in planning, implementation and decision-making processes around emergency preparedness, response and recovery including by:

• Mapping local organizations and the needs of people with disabilities.

• Enhancing the capacity of people with disabilities to advocate and hold to account governments, donors and humanitarian organizations.

1. Raising awareness of disability and humanitarian crises through both mainstream and targeted media.

1. Collecting disaggregated information by age, sex and profile of people with disabilities and use this data to develop evidence based more inclusive and appropriate programs.

1. Promoting an integrated system of mainstream and specialized response services, by:

• Building alliances with and the capacity of local organizations, including advocacy organizations, service providers and disabled persons organizations.

• Training of field and headquarters staff of humanitarian organizations, including on protection risks of persons with disabilities and how to implement accessible and inclusive programs.

1. Coordinating the inclusion of people with disabilities in all humanitarian efforts by identifying focal points within humanitarian organizations, UN agencies, donors and governments in crisis and conflict settings.

1. Continuing evidence-based research on people with disabilities in conflicts and natural disasters to develop more inclusive programs and policies.

1. Calling on governments to develop Article 11 National Action Plans or Policies, which identify strategic actions, priorities and resources, and determine responsibilities and timeframes at the national level.

1. Calling on the CRPD Committee to continue to hold accountable states’ implementation of the CRPD, particularly Article 11.