Humanitarian Resilience Journal — Preparedness for disability inclusive disaster risk reduction (Issue 4)

The fourth issue of the journal focuses on “Preparedness for Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction” in Pakistan. It embraces the initiatives undertaken by the humanitarian community in the country or suggestions for future interventions.

The challenges of inclusion of persons with disabilities need to be addressed before the disaster or emergency occurs. This involves increasing the representation of persons with disabilities on decision-making bodies at all levels, and forging partnerships with disabled person's organisations. Further connecting mainstream DRR programmes with DPOS is critical. The benefits of more inclusive programming extend to all members of society. Preventing people from incurring life-changing physical disabilities because of disasters is imperative to effective disaster risk reduction and management. Introduction to effective coping mechanisms and first aid in the aftermath of a disaster can prevent permanent physical loss & damage. Additionally, it is important to listen to and actively address the concerns raised by the target population. Persons with disabilities should be seen as active agents of change and their potential role within the communities should not be ignored.