Persons with disabilities in the Arab region remain one of the most marginalized and excluded population groups. They are often not visible in public life, as the social and physical environments remain inaccessible, and they are disproportionally affected by crises and disasters.

Marginalization is intensified for those who experience intersecting forms of discrimination due to their age, gender, class, or refugee status. Inequity is worsened by the lack of accurate data concerning the prevalence of disabilities in Arab countries. Adequate social protection systems are critical to providing for the economic and social inclusion of persons with disabilities, their income security and independent living.

The webinar provides a critical analysis of social protection systems for persons with disabilities from the perspective of civil society and social actors in Jordan, Tunisia, and Lebanon in order to answer several fundamental questions:

• What are the current challenges hampering the right to social protection for persons with disabilities in MENA?
• 
  What are key elements that need to be addressed to activate the right to social protection for persons with disabilities in MENA?
• What steps should civil society in MENA take to activate an agenda for social inclusion from the perspective of the right to social protection?

Hala Darwish (Social Policy Officer, UNICEF Syria), Farah Al Shami (Senior Fellow, Arab Reform Initiative), Luca Pellerano (Senior Social Protection Specialist, International Labour Organization), Maria del Mar Logrono-Narbona (Senior Advisor, Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development), and Rachel Forrester-Jones (Professor and Director School of Health Studies, Western University) discuss this issue in this panel. 

This webinar took place on 14 June 2023.
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