Flickr
On 4 June 2025, the Embassy of Latvia in the Netherlands held a discussion, “Invisible in War, Resilient in Peace: Reality for Women with Disabilities in Crisis”. The discussion took place in the context of one of Latvia’s priority areas for its work in the UN Security Council – promoting women’s empowerment, with the focus on the protection of women with disabilities in crisis.
The event raised the issue of the vulnerability of women and girls with disabilities during armed conflicts, natural disasters and other major crises, and the need to incorporate their views into international policy-making and humanitarian initiatives. The discussions featured stories and evidence about how women with disabilities outlive and experience conflicts and their consequences.
Their experience and perspectives were shared by the Chairperson of the Board of the Latvian Umbrella Body for Disability Organisations SUSTENTO, Vice President of the European Disability Forum, Gunta Anča, a Netherlands civil society activist, mother to a child with a disability, Elif Borucu-Çalinalti, and the head of a Ukrainian NGO “League of Strong”, Daria Kukurika. The participants were members of the Netherlands non-governmental organisations, diplomats and representatives from international institutions.
During the discussion, Gunta Anča stressed that women with disabilities are among the most vulnerable groups in society, especially in times of crisis, when they often do not have access to shelters, are excluded from evacuation plans and emergency procedures, their experiences remain untold, but they themselves are more likely than others to face violence in various forms.
Elif Borucu-Çalinalti said effective action in crisis requires timely and targeted preparation – identifying people with disabilities at the local level, involving women with disabilities in developing crisis communication plans, mapping critical sites and conducting regular enactments of different scenarios. She also underlined that the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities should serve as the basis for any crisis communication and response.
Daria Kukurika, for her part, shared Ukrainian experience, emphasising that women with disabilities, including mothers, are not just a vulnerable group of society – they are leaders who are ready to advocate major changes in their country as early as today.
The event was implemented as part of the public diplomacy programme in support of the lobby campaign of Latvia’s candidacy for the United Nations Security Council. On 3 June 20025, Latvia was elected to the UN Security Council for the term from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2027. Membership of the UNSC will be a key instrument in pursuit and protection of Latvia’s foreign policy interests. The overarching objective of the membership if to safeguard and strengthen an international environment conducive to Latvia’s security thought making use of and expanding the opportunities offered by multilateral diplomacy.