Advancing Disability-Inclusive Humanitarian Programming and Coordination in South Sudan

Disability inclusion in humanitarian action in South Sudan has made strides, but challenges remain in integrating it systematically into protection programming and coordination. This report examines how the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Guidelines on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action have been implemented, focusing on four ‘must-do’ actions. It identifies gaps and opportunities for improving disability inclusion in protection programming and coordination, and addresses the central research question: How and to what extent have humanitarian organizations anchored disability inclusion in key protection programming and coordination, as recommended in the IASC Guidelines, and where do gaps remain? 

The IASC Guidelines provide a structured approach to advancing disability inclusion in humanitarian action through its four ‘must-do’ actions: promoting meaningful participation, removing barriers, building empowerment and capacity support, and monitoring inclusion using disaggregated data. These actions ensure that persons with disabilities are not just beneficiaries of humanitarian action but also active participants in shaping the activities that affect them. 

Persons with disabilities in South Sudan face intersecting vulnerabilities, with limited access to humanitarian protection services, livelihood support and emergency assistance. In rural areas such as Pibor, delivering humanitarian protection services to the affected population – including persons with disabilities – is even more challenging. While the government’s 2023 ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) marked progress, implementation challenges persist, and disability remains underrepresented in national policies, humanitarian programming and coordination.

Organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) play a crucial role in advocating for disability rights and inclusion, but their engagement in protection programming and coordination is limited. Although some OPDs actively participate in advocacy, many lack the technical capacity and funding to contribute meaningfully to protection programming and coordination. Despite growing efforts to promote meaningful participation, OPDs often perceive their engagement in the Humanitarian Program Cycle (HPC) as tokenistic rather than meaningful. Capacity-building efforts tend to be project-based and lack long-term investment. 

Familiarity with the IASC Guidelines and its four ‘must-do’ actions varies among humanitarian actors. United Nations organizations and international humanitarian organizations, despite varying guidelines, generally recognize the importance of the four ‘must-do’ actions, and they integrate disability considerations into their protection programming and humanitarian coordination. Disability-focused international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) such as Humanity & Inclusion (HI), Christian Blind Mission (CBM), Light for the World (LFTW) and Volunteer Organization for International Cooperation (OVCI) play a key role in promoting the IASC Guidelines. However, at the local level, humanitarian workers and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are generally less familiar with these guidelines. This limited awareness impacts disability inclusive protection programming and humanitarian coordination.

Although the Washington Group Short Set of Questions on Disability (WG-SS) has been integrated into some needs assessments and cluster tools, a gap remains in collecting and using comprehensive disability-disaggregated data. Although disability-related data is included in the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) and rapid needs assessments, the lack of detailed disaggregation remains a major barrier to effective disability-inclusive protection programming.

The protection cluster is central to inclusive protection programming and coordination, but challenges remain in delivering adequate protection services for persons with disabilities. OPDs lack consistent representation in the protection cluster, limiting their ability to influence inter-agency protection programming and coordination. Disability focused INGOs, while active in protection efforts, often serve as indirect advocates for disability inclusion; but they cannot replace the need for direct OPD representation. At the local level, coordination mechanisms vary in how they engage OPDs and informal groups of persons with disabilities. As a result, disability inclusion is often inadequately addressed in protection programming. 

The Inter-Cluster Coordination Group (ICCG) has made efforts to mainstream disability
as a cross-sectoral issue. However, the absence of disability-focused NGOs or OPDs in the ICCG limits the availability of technical expertise on disability in inter-cluster coordination. The Gender Inclusion Task Team (GITT) is actively working to integrate disability-inclusive approaches into humanitarian programming. However, its expertise
is largely gender-focused, limiting its ability to support disability inclusion. The Technical Support Mechanism on Disability Inclusion under GITT strengthens and localizes technical resources, thereby supporting the implementation of the IASC Guidelines.

At the highest level of in-country humanitarian coordination, the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) faces challenges in harmonizing disability inclusion across United Nations organizations. Partly based on the United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy (UNDIS), organizations such as United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), International Organization for Migration (IOM) and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) also have developed their own disability-inclusion guidelines. However, there is no overarching strategy to ensure alignment with the IASC Guidelines. This compromises consistency in disability-inclusive programming and limits mainstreaming efforts across the humanitarian response. Addressing these gaps requires dedicated disability-inclusion expertise within United Nations organizations and stronger coordination among GITT, ICCG and HCT to embed disability considerations across the humanitarian system in South Sudan.

Suggested Citation
Khaled, A.F.M and Dijkzeul D. (2026) “ Advancing Disability-Inclusive Humanitarian Programming and Coordination in South Sudan” IFHV Working Paper, Volume 16, No. 1

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