WRF The Secretariat of the DaOWAG
WRF continues to fulfill and advance its role as the Secretariat of the Disability and Older Age Working Group (DaOAWG) in Lebanon since its founding in 2013.
Founded by several international and local non-governmental organizations and entities, the DaOAWG is dedicated to advocating for the rights and needs of persons with disabilities and older persons with particular attention to those among refugees from Syria in Lebanon. The working group employs a rights-based approach, highlighting the necessity to address the needs of persons with disabilities and older persons as cross-sectoral issues in the humanitarian response to the crises in Lebanon and among refugees from Syria in Lebanon.
Since its formation, the DaOAWG has accomplished notable achievements. It has convened over 30 group coordination and advocacy meetings, the most recent of which in February 2023 was attended by 66 participants from 46 local and international organizations. The group has also been instrumental in contributing to discussions, understanding, and advocacy of the needs of persons with disabilities and their caregivers and families within the Lebanon Protection and Health Working Groups and in local, regional, and national sectoral meetings, and has contributed to coordinating emergency assistance interventions among group members.
Involvement in the DaOAWG is open to any organization involved in advocacy, human rights, service delivery, or inclusion, with a clear interest in supporting persons with disabilities and older persons among refugees from Syria and in host communities in Lebanon.