Global policy and local actions for vulnerable populations affected by disaster and displacement.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights ratified by the UN in 1948 encompasses the concepts of creating and enabling occupational opportunities including work, leisure, education and community participation (United Nations, 1948). The UN Declaration supports occupational therapists to act on behalf of our clients and our communities as well as diverse populations of vulnerable people. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines vulnerable people as children, pregnant women, elderly people, malnourished people, and people who are ill or immune-compromised (WHO, 2013). People with disabilities are included in this group and tend to be among the poorest of the poor (WHO, 2011). Poverty – and its common consequences such as malnutrition, homelessness, poor housing and destitution – is a major contributor to vulnerability. Natural and manmade disasters are affecting more and more people around the world. People are displaced from their homes and their lives, making them vulnerable. They may lose everything or be able to take only the basics with them. Livelihood opportunities may be destroyed. With lost roles and changed circumstances, survivors live perhaps in temporary housing in tiny rooms which take little time to clean, where there is no work, nothing to do, no occupational opportunities, a loss of daily structure, leading to boredom and despair (Wilson, 2011). With their support systems removed, displaced people are often unable to access basic health, welfare and education services. They experience severe socio-economic loss and impoverishment. How is the global community responding to this global crisis of displacement and vulnerability? What can we do as communities of professionals and as individuals? As a profession concerned with promoting health and well being through occupation, occupational therapists should be addressing issues that truly affect people’s lives. In translating international policy into local action, we can fulfill many of the goals set out by the UN in their seminal document The Millennium Development Goals (United Nations, n.d.). Global policy for health and equality