A/HRC/44/41 statistics, the main data sources include population censuses, listings, general or internally displaced sample surveys and administrative registers. The recently adopted international recommendations on statistics for internally displaced persons offer guidance, including on the disaggregation of existing data by disability.32 48. For example, the national victims registry in Colombia includes information on internally displaced persons with disabilities: 324,973 as of November 2019. 33 The registry of internally displaced persons in Ukraine showed 51,223 internally displaced persons with disabilities as of February 2020.34 49. Collecting data on persons with disabilities in ways that respect international norms on privacy is an obligation for States that have ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (art. 31). Since its inception in 2001, the Washington Group on Disability Statistics has developed and tested tools for the collection of internationally comparable statistics on disability. Other widely used tools include the WHO disability assessment schedule. WHO also supports States in carrying out model disability surveys.35 50. Anecdotal evidence suggests, however, that disability-related surveys rarely generate data disaggregated by displacement status; doing so would help increase the visibility and understanding of how internal displacement affects persons with disabilities and facilitate comparisons with persons without disabilities, and with persons with disabilities who have not been displaced. Such data could also inform relevant initiatives and promote State reporting on progress, including progress towards achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals for this specific group, particularly for targets and indicators that were prioritized for disaggregation by disability.36 51. In many situations the evidence base relating to internally displaced persons with disabilities is derived primarily from humanitarian operational data collected from various sources: from aggregate data to inform strategic decision-making, risk analysis and planning to case management data for better targeting of protection and assistance. 37 Although the Washington Group questions are increasingly used in humanitarian contexts, 38 too often operational data are still not adequately disaggregated by disability, limiting their usefulness for improving responses. 52. Conducting separate data-collection exercises that focus on persons with disabilities (including needs and barriers assessments, as well as mapping of organizations of people with disabilities and disability-specific services) where it is relevant and feasible to do so is therefore particularly valuable.39 The obligation to mainstream data by disability 40 is not by itself enough and should be complemented by assessments focused on disability and information on disability derived from individual case management systems. The need for awareness-raising and capacity-building in relation to disability, including for data collectors, has been recognized as essential.41 53. For certain purposes, disaggregation of operational data to the extent possible by age, sex and disability may be sufficient (for example, to calculate the number of persons with 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 See Expert Group on Refugee and IDP Statistics, International Recommendations on IDP Statistics (IRIS) (March 2020). See contribution from Colombia. The data can be further disaggregated by age and gender. See contribution from Ukraine. Available from www.who.int/disabilities/data/mds/en/. See Inter-Agency and Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal Indicators, “Data disaggregation and SDG indicators: policy priorities and current and future disaggregation plans” (March 2019). See contribution from UNHCR. For example, in 2018 UNHCR committed to incorporating the Washington Group short question set into its continuous registration process to improve the identification and protection of persons with disabilities and to using the extended set in household surveys. Inter-Agency Standing Committee guidelines, p. 25. See Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, article 31, and Sustainable Development Goals 17 and 18. Inter-Agency Standing Committee guidelines, p. 21, and contribution from Universidad de los Andes. 11