As the United Nations Security Council prepares for Protection of Civilians Week 2025, scheduled from May 19 to 23, there is a call for UN member states to ensure that people with disabilities are included in efforts to strengthen protection and uphold international humanitarian law and human rights law.
Human Rights Watch has conducted investigations over the past decade into the impact of armed conflict on people with disabilities. These investigations reveal that individuals with disabilities face disproportionate risks during conflicts and are more likely to experience forced displacement, starvation, and lack of access to aid. In areas like Gaza, children with disabilities have faced significant harms due to both their age and disability, including higher risks of death and injury.
On December 6, 2024, the Security Council held its first informal meeting in five years focused on protecting people with disabilities in armed conflict. During this meeting, member states and civil society groups acknowledged a lack of progress in implementing Security Council Resolution 2475. This resolution urges warring parties to take measures to protect people with disabilities and ensure they have access to justice, basic services, and humanitarian assistance. Member states reaffirmed their commitment to implementing the resolution and integrating disability considerations across the council’s work.
The Security Council now has an opportunity to transform these commitments into action by permanently including the situation of people with disabilities in armed conflicts and humanitarian emergencies on its agenda. It should invite individuals with disabilities as briefers and consult regularly with them. Resolution 2475 urged member states to provide people with disabilities a seat at the table.
An observer reported spending 19 months documenting harms faced by children and adults with disabilities in Gaza. The report highlighted issues such as starvation used as a weapon of war by the Israeli government and denial of access to healthcare through attacks on medical facilities. Similar harms have been documented in other recent armed conflicts like Syria, where people with disabilities have often been overlooked in protection efforts.
Ensuring that people with disabilities are a central focus of the Security Council would demonstrate its genuine commitment not only to Resolution 2475 but also to protecting all civilians in armed conflict.
