What is it like to live with a disability when you’re displaced?

On 3 December, we celebrate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Building on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, adopted in 2006, this year’s theme aims to promote the participation and leadership of persons with disabilities in the global agenda to achieve sustainable development by 2030. Accessibility and inclusion of persons with disabilities, recognized as fundamental rights by the Convention, benefit societal life and entire communities. Identifying and eliminating obstacles and barriers to accessibility is necessary to achieve progress and development for all!

Saadah Hamood Ahmed Alhuamaidi is a 16 year-old visually impaired girl from Yemen. In a country at war since 2015, Saadah has been defending and demanding the rights of the children, who are bearing the brunt of the human rights consequences.

The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Guidelines on the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action aim to assist humanitarian actors, governments and affected communities to coordinate, plan, implement, monitor and evaluate essential actions for the full inclusion of persons with disabilities in all sectors and phases of humanitarian action. The Guidelines are a key contribution to the Disability Inclusion Strategy launched by the Secretary-General last June.

This day recognizes the importance of sign languages for achieving the SDGs and fulfilling its core promise: "leaving no one behind."

An aspiring journalist and literature student, Alexandra Tomasevic, 25, who has cerebral palsy, has advocated for children and youth with disabilities since she was a young girl. Ms. Tomasevic is a participant in UN Women’s mentoring programme. "I am one of ten mentors at the [...] programme where we get paired with other women with disabilities. Our job is to be a support system for our mentees and help them make their ideas come to life, improve the quality of their lives, and claim their rights to education and employment." It’s important for women with disabilities to realize that they are not alone. The objective of the project is empowerment of women with disabilities by women with disabilities.