Persons with disabilities

Program for people with disabilities

A long time of internal conflict greatly hampered the country's economic and social development. People with disabilities (PwD) have been disproportionately affected by the conflict, violence and economic hardship affecting Iraq. Persons with disabilities face multiple and intersecting barriers to their meaningful community participation in Iraq. The Government of Iraq, the United Nations, non-governmental organizations and civil society have recognized this and made efforts to address the multiple and intersecting barriers faced by persons with disabilities. Unfortunately, these efforts have been greatly hampered by a lack of resources, insufficient institutional will, and the prevailing use of a charitable model, rather than a rights-based approach, to disability inclusion and mainstreaming. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) – which Iraq ratified in 2013 – uses a human rights approach to disability, and refers to persons with disabilities as including “those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments that interact with Various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis