This brief provides a comprehensive overview of UNDP Syria’s work on disability inclusion programme.

With the conflict in Syria well into its 10th year, there is an urgent need to adopt a comprehensive, integrated and multidisciplinary approach to disability-inclusive programming. In fact, 3.7 million people – or 27 percent of the total population (aged 12+) – in Syria have a disability. The key findings from the national assessment of disability in Syria showed that in addition to the provision of medical rehabilitation services, other environmental factors such as physical and social barriers and the mental health of persons with disabilities (PWDs) are priorities to be addressed and require urgent attention.

In line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as a twin framework, UNDP supports PWDs in Syria through a human rights-based approach to disability and the principle of leaving no one behind. To address multidimensional challenges facing PWDs in a cohesive manner, UNDP Syria identifies four key pillars which are closely interlinked and require an integrated approach. The brief touches upon its strategy and approach, elaborates on key results and presents its vision for the future.