Disability rights in emergency planning
The taskforce called for disability inclusion throughout emergency planning, delivery and monitoring, referring to Article 11 of the UN disability convention. It published emergency checklists and information on organisations offering assistance. The aim was to help relief teams address needs that general emergency arrangements were overlooking. [1]
Local partners provide practical support
In an account published on 10 October, Humanity & Inclusion described adapting its work to displacement. Its operations manager Zeina Salhani spoke about balancing staff work and family safety in Beirut. HI reported that, through September 2024, it had supported Tamkeen in Nabatiyeh and the Palestinian Women Humanitarian Organisation in Tyre with rehabilitation, assistive devices and supplies for displaced people.
Support must continue after evacuation
HI’s 2024 briefing warned that displacement could separate disabled people from the people who support them and interrupt essential services. It called on humanitarian organisations to involve disability organisations in designing, delivering and evaluating assistance. Accessible shelter, mobility equipment and continued support were part of the response it sought. [3]