G3ict and IAAP Statement: Protection and Safety of Persons with Disabilities in Ukraine

ATLANTA (February 28, 2022) —

G3ict and its division IAAP - the International Association of Accessibility Professionals - join the international community in opposing violence against civilian populations and call on all parties involved in the conflict in Ukraine to respect their commitments in regard to international treaties protecting Persons with Disabilities and aging persons with limited autonomy in situations of conflict. Those include:

• The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) principle that “conditions of peace and security based on full respect for the purposes and principles contained in the Charter of the United Nations and observance of applicable human rights instruments are indispensable for the full protection of persons with disabilities, in particular during armed conflicts and foreign occupation”
• Article 11 of the CRPD on Situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies
• UN Security Council Resolution 2475 (2019) on the Protection of Persons with Disabilities in Conflict

According to the latest statement by the European Disability Forum about Ukraine, “there are 2.7 million persons with disabilities registered in Ukraine. Contacts in the country have confirmed that the situation for persons with disabilities is appalling. For example, shelters in Kiev are inaccessible, so people with disabilities are forced to stay at home, not knowing where they can go to be safe.”

Armed conflicts anywhere in the world always affect Persons with Disabilities disproportionally: lack of accessible information and communications, inability to protect themselves from acts of aggression, inaccessible evacuation routes, sheltering facilities and relief centers, and lack of access to essential supplies. Persons with Disabilities are also affected by prevailing lack of understanding of disability and stigmatization among emergency response units. As a result, casualties among Persons with Disabilities and aging persons with reduced autonomy are disproportionality high as witnessed during all past armed conflicts.

G3ict and IAAP join the European Disability Forum call to the political leadership and all humanitarian actors dealing with the conflict in Ukraine to ensure that Persons with Disabilities are not abandoned and have access to essential services, sheltering, evacuation and humanitarian help. G3ict and IAAP call more specifically on all parties involved in the conflict to follow the United Nations Interagency Standing Committee Guidelines on the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action.

G3ict and IAAP call for all partners, members or colleagues interested in helping channel support to Persons with Disabilities affected by the conflict in Ukraine.

• Ambassador Luis Gallegos, Chair of the Board, G3ict
• Mark McCusker, Chair, Global Leadership Council, IAAP
• Axel Leblois, Chief Executive Officer, G3ict and IAAP