The Road to Inclusion: Advancing Disability-Inclusive Protection Programming and Coordination in North-East Nigeria

Key actors—including disability-focused INGOs like CBM, UN bodies, and the Disability Working Group (DWG)—have advanced the IASC Guidelines and its four “must-do” actions, and the DWG’s technical inputs have helped shape the Nigerian Humanitarian Fund’s “Breaking Down Barriers” allocations, fostering greater attention to accessible infrastructure, disaggregated data collection, and OPD participation. Yet, most UN agencies operate under disparate frameworks, and protection partners have yet to integrate disability-sensitive objectives and training consistently into their strategies. Funding for inclusive initiatives remains ad hoc, capacity-building efforts are sporadic, and data-disaggregation methods lack standardization, leading to gaps in targeting—particularly for women, children, and persons with psychosocial disabilities—and accessing reasonable accommodation such as sign-language interpretation or ramps. Frontline staff often lack the specialized skills to translate policy into practice, resulting in mixed accessibility of, for example, distribution sites and feedback mechanisms. Despite these challenges, a gradual shift toward rights-based dialogue, increased OPD engagement in sectoral planning, and emerging communities of practice signal a positive trajectory. To consolidate these gains, the report underscores the need for harmonized guidelines, sustained funding streams, systematic capacity development, and strengthened accountability structures to ensure that disability inclusion becomes the norm rather than the exception.