A/65/12/Add.1
discrimination, exploitation, violence, and sexual and gender-based violence, and may
be excluded from support and services,
Recognizing that children with disabilities are at a greater risk of abuse, neglect,
abandonment, exploitation, health concerns, exposure to the risk of longer term
psycho-social disturbances, family separation and denial of the right to education,
Acknowledging that services and facilities, including assistance programmes and
protection, may be inaccessible to persons with disabilities,
Recognizing that refugees with disabilities may be excluded from support and
services when repatriating and often have fewer opportunities for other durable
solutions, namely local integration and resettlement,
Reaffirming the primary responsibility of States to take all appropriate measures to
protect and assist persons with disabilities, in all situations,
Recognizing that host States, which are often developing countries, have limited
resources and face various challenges in providing such services and facilities;
reaffirming, therefore, the international community and UNHCR’s role to assist States
in fulfilling these responsibilities, in the spirit of international cooperation and burden
sharing,
(a) Calls upon States and UNHCR, in cooperation with relevant partners where
applicable, to protect and assist refugees and other persons with disabilities against all
forms of discrimination and to provide sustainable and appropriate support in
addressing all their needs;
(b) Also calls upon States, UNHCR and all relevant partners to raise awareness on
disability issues and to foster respect for the rights and dignity of persons with
disabilities, by providing training on the needs, rights and capabilities of refugees and
other persons with disabilities, among other things;
(c) Recommends that States, UNHCR and relevant partners ensure where
appropriate a swift and systematic identification and registration of refugees and other
persons with disabilities, with particular attention to those who cannot communicate
their own needs, in order to identify their protection and assistance needs, including as
part of a global needs assessment;
(d) Recommends that States include refugees and other persons with disabilities in
relevant policies and programmes and provide access to services, including through the
issuance of relevant documentation;
(e) Encourages States, UNHCR and all relevant partners to ensure the
participation of refugees and other persons with disabilities through appropriate
consultation in the design and implementation of relevant services and programmes;
(f) Encourages States, UNHCR and all partners to communicate information,
procedures, decisions and policies appropriately to ensure that these are accessible and
understood by refugees and other persons with disabilities;
(g) Encourages States, UNHCR and partners to enable children and youth with
disabilities to access appropriate protection, assistance and education, and to ensure the
inclusion of women and girls with disabilities, protected and assisted by UNHCR, in
programmes to prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence and other
forms of exploitation;
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