Brokering the culture gap
On July 31, 2009, the United States finally joined 141 other countries in signing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the most comprehensive human rights…
Education access for all
“I have now realised all children are the same and need to be appreciated. My encouragement to parents who have disabled children like mine is to appeal to them not…
Disability in the UN cluster system
The rationale for the reform of the UN humanitarian system was that, by clarifying the roles and responsibilities among UN agencies and by trying to enhance sectoral and cross-cutting coordination,…
Negotiating inclusion in Sri Lanka
During the final month of intense conflict in Sri Lanka in 2009, over 230,000 people were reportedly forced to flee their homes because of the fighting. These new IDPs joined…
In-house (dis)ability
Under the assumption that one cannot do anything for others unless applying the same rules at home, I am convinced that the UN system, including UNHCR, cannot provide effective services…
The case for a Conclusion
The current understanding of disability, known as the ‘social model’, holds that the root causes of the disadvantages experienced by persons with disabilities do not lie with individuals or their…
Accountability to disaster-affected populations
There are many different stakeholders to whom an organisation is accountable. Sadly, accountability to donors, to the general public, to governing bodies and to headquarters (in the case of field…
To return or stay?
Voluntary repatriation has long been seen as the foremost durable solution to forced displacement and the solution that would benefit the greatest number of refugees. This perspective assumes that, once…
Migration, mobility and solutions: an evolving perspective
Freedom of movement is a fundamental human right and is central to the functioning of the international refugee protection regime. The very ability to seek asylum depends on the ability…
Protection in natural disasters
Guidelines and principles are important for policymakers but they are also important to the first responders. Guidelines and principles are important for policymakers but they are also important to the…