Minimum Standards for Age and Disability Inclusion in Humanitarian Action

The Age and Disability Capacity Building Programme (ADCAP) has produced the first Minimum Standards for Age and Disability Inclusion in Humanitarian Action. The Standards have been developed for use by all practitioners involved in humanitarian response, including staff and volunteers of local, national, and international humanitarian agencies, with the expectation that the inclusion of people with disabilities and older people is feasible at every stage of the response and in every sector and context. The Standards are intended to inform the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of humanitarian programmes; to strengthen accountability to people with disabilities and older people; and to support advocacy, capacity-building and preparedness measures on age and disability across the humanitarian system. The Standards draw on existing standards including the Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability (CHS), the Sphere Handbook, and the Sphere Companion Standards, as well as the extensive experience and materials developed by specialist age and disability actors. The standards, consisting of a set of key standards as well as sector-specific standards, have been published in pilot form and will be reviewed on the basis of on-going consultation and field testing.