Call for Papers - Persons with disabilities in the context of war and conflict

Find the recent Call for Papers and other relevant information, when you are interested to contribute to the journal through publishing an article.

2026-2 CALL FOR PAPERS

Theme: Persons with disabilities in the context of war and conflict

We know a lot about crisis and conflicts going on in the world. Current wars span multiple regions and involve a mix of interstate conflict, civil wars, and proxy struggles, with especially high-intensity fighting in Ukraine and across the broader Middle East. In Ukraine, Russia's full-scale invasion has evolved into a prolonged, attritional war with ongoing frontline combat, missile and drone strikes on cities, and severe civilian and economic damage that also reshapes global security dynamics. In the Middle East, the long-running Arab–Israeli conflict has escalated into a wider regional crisis involving Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, and the Red Sea, drawing in non-state armed groups and external actors and causing large-scale displacement and destruction. Beyond these, multiple complex crises continue in places such as Sudan, Yemen, the Sahel, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, and Haiti, where overlapping local grievances, weak governance, and outside intervention keep violence going and make political settlement difficult. Together, these wars are contributing to record levels of global displacement, widespread civilian harm, and growing pressure on international institutions and humanitarian systems to respond effectively.

Hardly anyone knows, however, about the situation of persons with disabilities during these challenging times. They are hardly addressed in the discussions about war and conflict in media, research and literature. As a consequence, persons with disabilities are still too often overlooked, invisible and forgotten during war and conflict. Although Article 11 of the UN CRPD obliges all States Parties to ensure the protection and safety of persons with disabilities in situations of risks, including armed conflict, humanitarian emergencies and natural disasters, they continuously stay amongst the group of most vulnerable people in situations of war and conflict. It seems that while knowledge about their situation has slowly increasedover the last years, we still pay far too little attention to their situation in our responses to wars and conflicts.

Against this background, issue 2026-2 of the journal “Disability and International Development” is intended to review the situation of persons with disabilities in the context of war and conflict to take a closer look at challenges, countermeasures, lessons learned and best practices: What particular challenges do persons with disabilities face during acute attack-war situation or when being displaced due to these? What are their specific needs? And how are these concerns addressed by humanitarian response? Which role do persons with disabilities themselves or their organisations (OPDs) play in peacebuilding and reconciliation processes?

We invite researchers and experts from the field to contribute to one of the following topics:

 scientific studies highlighting the situation of persons with disabilities - and additional disadvantaging factors that women or children with disabilities, or persons with disabilities with certain ethnic or religious background face – during situations of war and conflict

 reports on the experiences of persons with disabilities during war and conflict or when being forcedly displaced

 models, programmes, concepts, and practices that promote the rights and needs of persons with diverse disabilities in accessing protection and safety in situations of war and conflict

 experiences, successes, challenges, and lessons learned of persons with disabilities, OPDs or facilities for persons with disabilities in the areas of armed conflicts, humanitarian emergencies, forced displacement as well as peacebuilding and reconciliation

 data, reports, and concepts on mainstreaming the concerns of persons with disabilities through humanitarian agencies and initiatives.

Before you send us your suggestion, please read the “Information for Authors”1 first and contact the coordinating editor via e-mail then: info@inie-inid.org

Deadline for submission of papers: 31st August 2026