International policy frameworks and conventions on humanitarian action demand the inclusion of people with disabilities. However, in reality, people with disabilities continue to be left behind when emergencies strike.

In this event we will explore:

• the causes of the gap between policy and practice, as well as how barriers affecting persons with disabilities in emergencies can be identified and removed
• prerequisites of empowerment, meaningful participation, and capacity strengthening
• the role of data, innovation, co-creation and collaboration in humanitarian action in advancing these objectives
• the implications the humanitarian reset has on these questions

Examples from Mozambique and Burkina Faso will illustrate what this means in practice across different contexts.

Agenda

The event will be held in English and moderated by Ioanna Tsigiridi, ELHRA.

About the speakers

• Clodoaldo Castiano is the Executive Director of the Forum of Mozambican Associations of Persons with Disabilities (FAMOD), and a member of the National Human Rights Commission of Mozambique. He focuses on analysing public policies for inclusion, advocacy and strategic planning. For nearly a decade, Clodoaldo has been leading disability advocacy initiatives in Mozambique, including passing Mozambique’s first national disability law in 2024.
• Michael Fembek is the CEO of the Zero Project. As a former business journalist, he has initiated and developed the Zero Project since 2008.  Since 2022 Michael Fembek is responsible for strategy, international cooperation and communications on the Board of Directors of the Essl Foundation. He is head of the Disability Thematic Network of Philea, the leading European Association of foundations.
• Ghislain Tihanibé Hien is a Project Manager at Light for the World Burkina Faso. He currently manages the project “IMPACT-BF” and its inclusive measures for people affected by crisis in Burkina Faso. This project is funded by the Austrian Development Agency as part of International Partnerships Austria and has received a Zero Project Award as an innovative solution for disability inclusion.
• Kirstin Lange is a Programme Specialist for Disability-Inclusive Humanitarian Action at UNICEF and co-chair of the Disability Reference Group. With over fifteen years of experience advancing disability inclusion across development and humanitarian contexts, she has held a range of technical and advisory roles with UN agencies and international NGOs across diverse contexts worldwide.
• Ioanna Tsigiridi is the Innovation Manager for Disability and Older Age Inclusion at Elrha’s Humanitarian Innovation Fund (HIF). She shapes HIF’s strategic priorities on disability and age inclusion, supporting partners to integrate inclusion, and contributing to sector-wide learning. Ioanna is committed to advancing disability inclusion, gender equality and fundamental rights through collaborative, evidence-driven humanitarian action.

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Registration

Global Responsibility, Light for the World and Zero Project warmly invite you to participate in this event. Please register the latest by 11 February 2026.  The venue is accessible for wheelchairs. Please inform us about accessibility needs we should consider.

Bitte warten…

Please note: By participating in this event, you expressly agree to the photo and/or video recordings and consent to the distribution of the photo and/or video recordings in line with the organisational policies of Light for the World. If you do not wish to be included in photos/videos, please make this known to organisers at the event.

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Contact

Nadja Grossenbacher: N.Grossenbacher@licht-fuer-die-welt.at

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