In the South Caucasus and Eastern Europe region, riddled with various forms of conflict, from protracted to all-out war, the topic of disability rights through the lens of gender and Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) is relatively unexplored. In this paper, The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation analyses and highlights several key issues and priorities for women and girls with disabilities, through the prism of inclusivity and meaningful participation in crisis response, humanitarian efforts, conflict transformation and peace negotiations, humanitarian efforts, and post-conflict reconstruction and recovery. The rights of displaced women and girls with disabilities, access to a variety of services, as well as fragmentation within the community will also be addressed. These insights were collected through a series of interviews and workshops on this topic, conducted with Kvinna till Kvinna partner organisations and community members across the region.

On a global scale, the rights of women and girls with disabilities frequently remain outside of the Women Peace and Security framework and holistic security considerations. Women and girls with disabilities are uniquely impacted by war and conflict, including through increased rates of gender-based and other forms of violence during conflict. Their specific needs and priorities are not considered in conflict and post-conflict environments and response strategies. Despite their potential to contribute unique perspectives to key processes, they do not hold agency and do not participate meaningfully in decision-making on policy and community levels in conflict transformation and peace negotiations, designing humanitarian aid, or post-conflict recovery processes. There is a prominent lack of detailed, standardised, disaggregated data, research, and analysis in this regard, including in the South Caucasus and Eastern Europe region.