Actions taken:
• Inclusion is one of Finnish Red Cross’s international aid’s four strategic drivers, and disability inclusion has been decided to receive special focus from the start of implementing the strategy. Disability inclusion is an important cross-cutting theme in the FRC programme for long-term support to our partner National Societies, supported by the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 2022–2025. Consequently, everyone at the FRC international aid has a shared responsibility for disability mainstreaming. To guide this work, the implementation is aligned with the IFRC Protection, Gender and Inclusion (PGI) Policy and Framework, as well as the IFRC Minimum Standards for Protection, Gender, and Inclusion in Emergencies. FRC has also developed a PGI Road Map and a Disability Inclusion Guidance Tool to support the implementation of disability-inclusive activities.
• To support PGI implementation, the number of PGI-related staff (international aid) has gradually grown since 2019 when PGI was dealt by a focal point (PGI as one part of the role of the position) at the HQ. The implementation is now supported by a headquarters-based Senior Specialist on PGI focusing mostly on knowledge development and advocacy, an Africa Regional PGI Adviser focusing on technical support to projects, and in Asia, a Country Manager appointed as a PGI focal point for FRC work in the region.
• FRC has also supported the Movement PGI human resources for PGI and Disability Inclusion. It has seconded/supported several -related delegates to both IFRC and ICRC during 2017-2023. Disability Inclusion delegates were both women with disabilities. During their missions, they developed guidance and tools for disability inclusion, created training materials, and trained staff both in Geneva (IFRC/ICRC) and at National Societies, and developed networks and collaboration with organizations of persons with disabilities.
• To enhance the voice of persons with disabilities, FRC has established a partnership with Abilis Foundation, which is an organization of persons with disabilities, since 2015. The objective of this collaboration has been to improve disability inclusion and the agency of persons with disabilities themselves in FRC’s work through support from Abilis and its extensive network of partners.
• In 2022, FRC signed a four-year contract with Abilis Consulting and CBM Inclusion Advisory Group (as Abilis’s sub-contractor) to support disability inclusion in the new FRC programme (2022-2025). The support includes technical aid and capacity building in disability inclusion directed to FRC HQ and field staff and NS partners (management, staff, volunteers). Most training and technical support is conducted by local organizations of persons with disabilities and disability inclusion experts with technical support from Abilis experts from Finland when relevant. In 2023, Abilis, with local partners, facilitated in-country-based disability inclusion training sessions in Myanmar, South Sudan, Zimbabwe, and Ethiopia. The sessions lead to development of DI actions plans in the programmes and/or National Societies/NS brances. Trainings on disability inclusion were also provided to FRC HQ international aid staff (management, programme, and financial staff). An online learning module on PGI, developed by FRC for programme related staff, included further topics of disability inclusion, eg. disaggregation of data.
• FRC, together with Abilis, has provided technical support to enhance the disability inclusion part in the IFRC PGI Surge training.
• To advance disability inclusion, a three-module training package on disability inclusion was developed with Abilis Consulting and CBM Inclusion Advisory Group.
• FRC Disability Inclusion Building Blocks Tool was developed to further support this work. The tool is based on the IASC Guidelines on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action.
• FRC-supported Disability Inclusion staff to IFRC and ICRC have supported the development of training tools and technical guidance notes both within IFRC and ICRC.