Disasters Affect Everyone! People With Disabilities in Humanitarian Emergencies

7th to 8th November 2007 in Bonn:
People with disabilities are among the most vulnerable groups in the humanitarian field and are affected more than others by disaster situations. Due to their lack of consideration in evacuation plans and lack of access to emergency relief and shelter, people with disabilities are very limited in their ability to cope with emergencies. At the same time, the extreme conditions of the disaster can exacerbate existing disabilities or create new ones.

Although insufficiently implemented so far, people with disabilities are mentioned in important humanitarian aid documents. Their full participation is given a binding basis under international law by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities adopted in December 2006. There, Article 11 calls for all necessary measures to ensure the protection and safety of persons with disabilities in humanitarian emergencies.

How this can be concretely implemented in humanitarian practice was presented and discussed at the conference. What are the consequences of disasters for persons with disabilities and how can they be adequately and comprehensively taken into account in all phases of humanitarian aid? How can disaster preparedness and assistance in acute emergencies be designed inclusively and how should rehabilitation and reconstruction measures be implemented so that they are holistic and accessible?

Focus 1: Situation Analysis

Disability in the Context of Humanitarian Emergency Situations (Natural Disasters) (pdf, 4,76 mb)
Muhammad Shafiq ur Rehman, Milestone a Right Based Movement, Milestone, Pakistan

Disability in the Context of Armed Conflict Situations (pdf, 67,6 kb)
Claudia Bell, Handicap International, Munich

Traumatisierungen nach Katastrophen (pdf, 53,46 kb)
Inge Missmahl, Caritas International, Freiburg

To What Extent are People with Disabilities Considered in Humanitarian Aid? (pdf, 1,32 mb)
Maria Kett, Leonhard Cheshire Centre of Conflict and Recovery, UK

Focus 2: Disaster Risk Reduction

Disaster & Disability: The Role of the Local Government to Minimize the Community Risk During the Disaster (pfd, 343,1 kb)
Shahidul Haque, Social Assistance and Rehabilitation for the Physically Vulnerable (SARPV), Bangladesh

'Community Based Disaster Preparedness' in India. Practical Experiences of Caritas Germany (pdf, 98,62 kb)
Karl Ammann, Caritas International, Freiburg

Focus 3: Acute Emergency Situation

General Standards in Humanitarian Aid: An Overview (pdf, 121,57 kb)
Peter Runge, VENRO, Bonn

The SPHERE Project - Standards and Indicators in Relation to Persons with Disabilities (pdf, 79,15 kb)
John Damerell, The Sphere Project, Switzerland

Example for Successful Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in a Humanitarian Emergency Situation (pdf, 349,26 kb)
Valérie Scherrer, Handicap International, France

Disability in Emergencies and Humanitarian Assistance - How to Address the Needs of People Living with Disabilities in Acute Humanitarian Assistance (pdf, 104,08 kb)
Dr. Peter K. Schmitz, Malteser International, Cologne

Focus 4: Accessible and Livelihood-securing Reconstruction

Accessibility - Holistic on Paper and in Reality! Post-Tsunami Experiences from Sri Lanka (pdf, 2 mb)
Christin Lidzba, CBM, Bensheim

How DESWOS is Working... Principles and Projects (auf Anfrage) Werner Wilkens, DESWOS, Cologne

Barrierefreier Wiederaufbau öffentlicher Infrastruktur und Etablierung von existenzsichernden Systemen der sozialen Sicherung (pdf, 627,44 kb)
Dorothea Rischewski, GTZ, Eschborn

Wie kann ein Wiederaufbau öffentlicher Einrichtungen erfolgen, der alle Bevölkerungsgruppen umfasst? (pdf, 389,37 kb)
Gisela Holtz, Holtz&Faust GbR - rund um Barrierefreiheit, Münster

Anforderungen an die ganzheitliche Rehabilitation des Menschen (pdf, 585,62 kb)
Marcel Baeriswyl, Johanniter Unfallhilfe, Berlin

Bonn Declaration

The Bonn Declaration was published as a result of the International Conference 'Disasters Affect Everyone! People With Disabilities in Humanitarian Emergencies", which took place in Bonn on 7th to 8th November 2007.

The conference was jointly organised by Disability and Development Cooperation (bezev), Kindernothilfe, Christoffel-Blindenmission, Caritas International, Handicap International and Der Paritätische Gesamtverband.

The conference report 'Disasters Affect Everyone. People With Disabilities in Humanitarian Emergencies" can be found here

Further information and documents on 'Humanitarian Aid for All':

Behinderung und Entwicklungszusammenarbeit e.V.