IASC Guidelines, Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action, 2019

Published Date

Decorative icon of a person in a wheelchairThe guidelines set out essential actions that humanitarian actors must take in order to effectively identify and respond to the needs and rights of persons with disabilities who are most at risk of being left behind in humanitarian settings.

The recommended actions in each chapter place persons with disabilities at the centre of humanitarian action, both as actors and as members of affected populations. They are specific to persons with disabilities and to the context of humanitarian action and build on existing and more general standards and guidelines.

These are the first humanitarian guidelines to be developed with and by persons with disabilities and their representative organizations in association with traditional humanitarian stakeholders. Based on the outcomes of a comprehensive global and regional multi-stakeholder consultation process, they are designed to promote the implementation of quality humanitarian programmes in all contexts and across all regions, and to establish and increase both the inclusion of persons with disabilities and their meaningful participation in all decisions that concern them.

Executive summary

An executive summary and a summary for implementers are available to download below.

Accessible versions and translations

Accessible versions and translations are available below for download. 

Contact the Reference Group on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action (DRG) at rg.disabilityinclusion@gmail.com for coordination of translations in other languages. All completed translations will be posted on the IASC website.

If you create a translation or an adaptation or this Work, kindly note that:

  • You are not allowed to add your logo (or that of a funding agency) to the product. 
  • In case of adaptation (i.e., changes in the text or images), the use of the IASC logo is not permitted. In any use of this Work, there should be no suggestion that IASC endorses any specific organization, products or services.
  • You should add the following disclaimer in the language of the translation: “This translation/adaptation was not created by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC). The IASC is not responsible for the content or accuracy of this translation. The original English edition “Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Guidelines on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action" shall be the binding and authentic edition.”

Case studies, Inclusion of persons with disabilities in humanitarian action, 2019

In order to support the uptake of the Guidelines and promote learning by example, the Evidence Gathering Working Group of the IASC Task Team on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action collected, reviewed and approved examples of good practices. Thanks to financial support from Australia and the European Union Humanitarian Aid, this work, plus additional examples from field projects from CBM, Humanity & Inclusion and the International Disability Alliance (IDA) have now been gathered into a report (available here), launched on the occasion of the 2019 International Disability Day. Through 39 examples of inclusive field practices in 20 countries, this document shows what deliberate and proactive action is required to ensure that persons with disabilities from all constituencies are systematically included and meaningfully participate in humanitarian preparedness, response and recovery as well as in DRR contexts. Note that the report does not provide technical guidance, but is meant to complement to IASC Guidelines by drawing lessons from field practices.

Webinar on "What after the guidelines"? 

On 26 February, ICVA and PHAP together with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) secretariat and the Reference Group on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action, organised a webinar that Introduced the guidelines and discussed how they can be implemented in practice. 

Recording is here: Webinar: Inclusion of persons with disabilities in humanitarian action: what after the guidelines?

Please also check the IASC Key Messages on Applying the IASC Guidelines on Disability in the Covid-19 Response 

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