The 2024 Regional Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (RAR) in the Arab Region sheds light on the complex interactions between different risks that have been made worse by systemic instability, conflict, and climate change. It also underscores the necessity for innovative strategies that address the multifaceted risks affecting our communities. Leading innovations that leverage technology and accelerate resilience-building are highlighted as key opportunities to enhance the region’s collective adaptive capacity.

The Palestinian art and cultural scene is beset by multiple local and international concerns. The prevailing social, political, and economic volatility has created significant instability within the arts sector that impacts upon cultural production, visual representation, and cultural infrastructure alike. Palestinian art and culture have historically contributed to the representation politics of archiving and the continued pursuit of change in the future. To date, however, there has been sporadic engagement with the issue of disability. The issue of disability has not thus far been a critical issue that cultural organizations and art practitioners engage.

There was little by way of structured academic literature on the subject of arts and disability produced with Jordan in mind. The majority of literature on arts and disability was generated through cultural institutions and one-off projects. The Jordanian art scene comprises largely of private foundations and some government sponsored institutions. All of them have the potential to develop or host events related to art and disability.

Lebanon’s unstable history and 1975-1991 war left the country in a precarious socioeconomic state. The 2019 economic collapse and the Beirut Port explosion on August 4, 2020, has further added to a sense of crisis in the country. Despite that, it maintains a vibrant cultural hub, and its artistic scene continues to have a national and international reputation. The Lebanese art scene comprises largely of private foundations and some governmental institutions. All of them have the potential to develop or host events related to art and disability.