Somalia Disability Inclusion Working Group (DIWG) - Terms of Reference (TORs), Revised: January 2026

Introduction

The aim of the Somalia Disability Inclusion Working Group is to ensure holistic, effective and integrated humanitarian programming by humanitarian actors that better meet the needs of affected population in Somalia. It is proposed that the DIWG will be an inter-agency and intercluster technical working group established to support the overall humanitarian system in advancing disability inclusion issues in Somalia. The goal is to bring together a range of actors working in this space including UN agencies, national and international NGOs, Civil Society Organisation, Organisations of Person with Disabilities (OPDs), Government relevant Departments and Private Sectors to address the full spectrum of factors that impact people with disabilities in Somalia. The DIWG also set up a dedicated Technical Support Team to provide technical assistance and capacity building to their own organizations, other humanitarian organizations, and the wider humanitarian coordination system. The broad areas of work by the group are below and members may decide on a range of tasks and projects within these;

1. Strengthen disability inclusion in the Humanitarian Programme Cycle (HPC) through active engagement in the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) and related planning, implementation, and monitoring processes.

2. Strengthen disability inclusive programming in humanitarian action through capacity building on disability inclusive programme design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation

3. Support development, uptake and use of Inter-agency tool sets and guidelines to strengthen disability inclusion in humanitarian actions in line with IASC Guidelines, Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action

4. Facilitate active engagement and meaningful participation of Person with disabilities and Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) in humanitarian coordination and programming

The work of Somalia DIWG will be guided by and promote the four must-do actions defined by the IASC Guidelines on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action; 1). Promoting meaningful participation 2). Analyzing and removing barriers 3). Empowering persons with disabilities and supporting them to develop their capacities; 4). Disaggregating data for monitoring inclusion.

The Somalia Disability Inclusion Working Group (DIWG) will collaborate and work closely with all relevant existing technical working groups and clusters, particularly on Community Engagement and Accountability Task Force (CEA TF), Gender in Humanitarian Action (GiHA), Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS), Information Management Working Group (IMWG), Gender Based Violence (GBV), Child protection and Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), as well as the Protection, Health, Nutrition, WASH and Food Security Clusters to strengthen policy and practice on disability inclusion.