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International Organization for Migration (IOM)

Established in 1951, IOM is the leading inter-governmental organization in the field of migration and works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners.

With 172 member states, a further 8 states holding observer status and offices in over 100 countries, IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It does so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants.

IOM works to help ensure the orderly and humane management of migration, to promote international cooperation on migration issues, to assist in the search for practical solutions to migration problems and to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants in need, including refugees and internally displaced people.

Read more: https://www.iom.int/


Conflict and Humanitarian Contexts Updates Progress

Commitment year: 2018

Strive to ensure that services and humanitarian assistance are meaningfully accessible for and equally available to persons with disabilities. 

Timeframe and/or implementation plan: 2020

Submit update

Update in 2019

In late 2018 IOM recruited a Disability Inclusion focal point to develop a strategic direction on disability inclusion for the Department of Operations and Emergency. The focal point works with IOM's protection unit and is currently developed a streagic vision on inclusive programming for persons with disabilities. This is aligned with IOM's protection mainstreaming activities.

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Underway
Women and Girls with Disabilities Updates Progress

Commitment year: 2018

Promote the meaningful participation of women and girls with disabilities in humanitarian response and recovery programs

Timeframe and/or implementation plan: 2020

Submit update

Update in 2019

IOM, with technical support from the Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC), developed a Women’s Participation Toolkit (http://www.womenindisplacement.org) to improve the participation of women and girls in camps and camp-like settings, in line with the Organization’s commitments to the Call to Action to protection from Gender-based Violence (GBV). In late 2018 and early 2019 IOM South Sudan, as part of the Women’s Participation programme set up consultations with women and adolescent girls ...

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Underway
Data Disaggregation Updates Progress

Commitment year: 2018

Commit resources to support strengthened disability data
Collect, analyse and report information on persons with disabilities through the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM)

Timeframe and/or implementation plan: 2020

 

 

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Update in 2019

IOM, through DTM and the cluster system, have engaged in a series of initiatives that aim to create a better understanding of the numbers, the profiles and the barriers that PWDs face in humanitarian settings. In Syria, IOM participated in piloting and testing the Washington Group Short Set of Questions to understand the prevalence of different types of disabilities in affected populations in order to inform humanitarian responses and programming and to ensure assistance and protection services are more ...

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Underway
Eliminate Stigma and Discrimination Updates Progress

Commitment year: 2018

Policy, legislation and its implementation

Review and develop more inclusive policies and strategies, setting out an organizational approach to disability inclusion towards beneficiaries. 
Timeframe and/or implementation plan: 2020

 

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Update in 2019

IOM’s Strategic Vision 2019-2023 highlights the organisation’s commitment towards mainstreaming age, gender, disability and other aspects of diversity within IOM as a whole and will be launched in 2019. On an institutional level IOM have also been a part of the development of the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy (UNDIS), by providing feed-back, amending and piloting early versions of the document and accountability framework. Part of the UNDIS accountability framework includes indicators on ...

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Underway
Conflict and Humanitarian Contexts Updates Progress

Commitment year: 2018

Ensure Durable Solutions to displacement include and make provision for solutions for persons with disabilities.

Timeframe and/or implementation plan: 2020

Submit update

Update in 2019

Durable Solutions are a key part of IOM’s actions on Transition and Recovery in emergencies. IOM Iraq has dedicated funding to a specialist assessment of the current status of disability mainstreaming across its programming, and in consultation with OPDs and PwD is designing inclusive activities (including livelihoods) and adapting existing activities to be accessible to persons with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities

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Underway
Conflict and Humanitarian Contexts Updates Progress

Commitment year: 2018

Commit to the implementation of existing guidelines and standards around inclusion and collect and share learning and challenges.

Timeframe and/or implementation plan: 2020

Submit update

Update in 2019

IOM has established an Internal Working Group on Disability Inclusion that facilitates the sharing of information on how the organisation addresses the inclusion of PWDs in its programming. IOM is amending key policy documents so that they more fully reflect disability inclusion. IOM are working with the following fora to implement new and existing guidance on disability inclusion: 1) UN-DFID SBC guidance collecting data on disability for HNOs/ HRPs 2) The development and roll out of the new IASC guidelines 3) ...

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Underway
Conflict and Humanitarian Contexts Updates Progress

Commitment year: 2018

Ensure support for the return and reintegration of ex combatants is tailored to the needs of individuals with disabilities resulting from armed combat. 

Timeframe and/or implementation plan: 2020

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Update in 2019

IOM Iraq has conducted informal FDGs with ex-combatants to assess their needs and better understand existing barriers and potential facilitators to accessing IOM services. These activities will carry on this year in Iraq and other IOM operations.

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Underway
Conflict and Humanitarian Contexts Updates Progress

Commitment year: 2018

Sensitize and develop the capacity of humanitarian workers on inclusion of persons with disabilities and the intersection with age and gender.

Timeframe and/or implementation plan: 2020

Submit update

Update in 2019

Building on existing training resources developed by IOM to build organisational awareness on disability in Resettlement and Movement Management, DOE Protection have developed pilot training on disability inclusion in humanitarian emergencies. The training course has been piloted in the Syrian cross border operation and will be rolled out in other countries during the course of 2019. In addition to this, IOM Bangladesh and IOM South Sudan have worked with CBM and HI respectively to deliver IOM staff training ...

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Underway
Conflict and Humanitarian Contexts Updates Progress

Commitment year: 2018

Strengthen technical cooperation and partnership with specialized actors and organizations of persons with disabilities to facilitate cross-learning, sharing of information, practices, tools and resources inclusive of persons with disabilities.

Timeframe and/or implementation plan: 2020

Submit update

Update in 2019

IOM’s strategic direction on disability inclusion highlights the role of technical co-operation and partnership as a way of improving the disability inclusion in humanitarian contexts. To date, IOM South Sudan, IOM Bangladesh and IOM Nigeria work with local OPDs and INGOs to deliver services to affected populations. At a global level, IOM is in the process of renewing a partnership agreement with Humanity and Inclusion.

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Underway
Data Disaggregation Updates Progress

Commitment year: 2018

Commit to use the Washington Group questions
Ensure that data collected is disaggregated to report beneficiaries with a disability and wherever possible using the Washington Group Short Set of Questions or similar tested tools.

Timeframe and/or implementation plan: 2020

Submit update

Update in 2019

IOM has used the Washington Group Questions in exercises in South Sudan and Syria to disaggregate data by disability. DTM’s exercise in Bentiu was repeated in Wau in February 2019, using the Washington Groups Short Set of Questions to increase the understanding of the situation of persons with disabilities, including the barriers and facilitators they face in accessing needs-based services. Programmatic gaps in the access to camp management, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Shelter/Non-Food Items ...

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Underway
Data Disaggregation Updates Progress

Commitment year: 2018

Commit resources to support strengthened disability data
Ensure that data on disability are disaggregated by sex and are recorded for migrant victims of violence, abuse and exploitation, including victims of trafficking, assisted under IOM’s migrant protection and assistance programming.

Timeframe and/or implementation plan: 2020

Submit update

Update in 2019

IOM’s Department of Migrant Protection and Assistance have developed assessment forms  for case management of victims of trafficking with vulnerabilities. The assessment forms include questions on disability as it is seen as a factor that could lead to vulnerability. These forms are mandatory for all assessment on vulnerable migrants and VOTs. All data that is collected on vulnerable migrants with disabilities is recorded in a case management database (MIMOSA) which allows IOM to develop ...

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Underway
Eliminate Stigma and Discrimination Updates Progress

Commitment year: 2018

Commit to strengthening mainstreaming initiatives on disability inclusion.

Timeframe and/or implementation plan: 2020

Submit update

Update in 2019

Within the IOMS’s DOE, disability inclusion falls under the Protection Unit and is mainstreamed as part of protection initiatives. The Protection Mainstreaming guidance note has integrated disability, alongside gender and age, as elements of diversity that should be considered in all IOM activities. In practical terms, disability inclusion training that is delivered by IOM is built on existing training on protection mainstreaming which ensures that disability is not an isolated issue, but very much part ...

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Underway
Eliminate Stigma and Discrimination Updates Progress

Commitment year: 2018

Commit to develop operational tools to assess the inter-linkages between disability and  migrant vulnerability to violence, exploitation, and abuse and to develop appropriate  programmatic responses.

Submit update

Update in 2019

IOM’s Department of Migrant Protection and Assistance have developed a Handbook that includes case management forms for victims of trafficking with vulnerabilities. The case management forms that are part of the handbook include questions on disability as it is seen as a factor that could lead to vulnerability. This information collected in the forms will help the IOM staff to identify, assess and appropriately respond to the needs disabled migrants and their vulnerability to violence and exploitation.

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Underway
Eliminate Stigma and Discrimination Updates Progress

Commitment year: 2018

Ensure support to tackle social exclusion in displacement and migration crises pro-actively incorporates persons with disabilities.

Timeframe and/or implementation plan: 2020 

Submit update

Update in 2019

As part of IOM’s disability inclusion work in Transition and Recovery, In 2019 IOM Iraq began formalising its engagement with OPDs and disability-focused coordination structures, including the National Disability Task Force, to ensure PwD are pro-actively consulted and included throughout all social cohesion programming

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Underway
Women and Girls with Disabilities Updates Progress

Commitment year: 2018

Develop and implement interventions that advance the empowerment of women and girls with disabilities and protect them from physical, sexual and other forms of violence, abuse, exploitation and harassment.

Timeframe and/or implementation plan: 2020

Submit update

Update in 2019

IOM now has an Institutional Framework for Addressing GBV in Crises (GBViC Framework), which helps IOM safeguard the safety, dignity and well-being of all crisis-affected persons, especially women and girls, and aims to ensure that their equitable access to services are prioritized, integrated and coordinated across all IOM crisis operations. It recognizes that GBV is influenced by the intersection of other systems of power in which different types of marginalization – such as racism and discrimination ...

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Underway