Burkina Faso Advances Inclusion for Disabled People with New Charter

OUAHIGOYA, Burkina Faso — A key workshop was held on May 2, 2024, in Ouahigouya to disseminate a new charter aimed at improving the inclusion of disabled individuals in humanitarian efforts, focusing specifically on stakeholders in the North region. This session follows a similar initiative previously conducted in the Center-North region.

According to Burkina Information Agency, the Secretary General of the province, the charter was signed on August 31, 2023. It serves as a guiding document for humanitarian actors and is part of Burkina Faso’s efforts to ensure non-discriminatory promotion and protection of the rights of people with disabilities. The workshop not only introduced the charter but also covered legal frameworks for the rights of disabled individuals, aimed to educate participants about these rights, and gathered recommendations for enhancing their inclusion in humanitarian actions. The event is crucial for setting up a more coordinated and effective approach to address the needs of disabled people in disaster response and recovery operations.

Data from CONASUR as of March 31, 2023, indicated that there were 11,842 registered internally displaced persons with disabilities in Burkina Faso, with 507 from the Northern region, including 239 women and 268 men.