Field Note: Disability-Inclusive WASH Humanitarian Response in Syrian Arab Republic

The conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic has both increased the number of persons with disabilities and impacted persons with disabilities’ access to schools, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure and humanitarian assistance. In 2021, with 2.9 million persons with disabilities in need of WASH assistance in the country, the provision of disability-inclusive and accessible WASH services remains of critical importance. UNICEF and partners are meeting the WASH rights and needs of persons with disabilities by: (1) providing disabilityinclusive humanitarian WASH services for internally displaced persons, including those with disabilities; and (2) restoration of WASH services through the rehabilitation of WASH facilities, with a focus on WASH in schools.

UNICEF has taken a holistic approach to the rehabilitation of schools, developing guidelines and standards to ensure the construction of all school infrastructure is disability accessible, including WASH facilities. The guidelines for the construction of schools and rehabilitation of damaged schools were developed and endorsed by the Syrian Ministry of Education in 2020 for use across the Syrian Arab Republic, working towards removing barriers for children with disabilities to access education at scale