Urgent call for a disability constituency in climate negotiations

Understanding COP29 and the role of constituencies

The United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) conducts annual negotiations called the Conference of the Parties (COP). Having been ongoing for 25 years, the 29th one took place from the 11th of November to the 22nd. Only countries that have signed the Paris Agreement can negotiate. Non-governmental organisations, indigenous peoples, researchers, and youth, are admitted as observers. These groups can be acknowledged as constituencies, allowing them to intervene on the Plenary floor and advance information on upcoming sessions. By being recognised as a constituency, a group may ensure their perspective is considered in negotiations.

A letter addressed to signatories of the Paris Agreement

On September 10th, 2024, supported by the International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC), eight disability organisations addressed a formal letter to signatories of the Paris Agreement. In the context of the upcoming COP29, they stated the urgency of implementing a disability constituency within the United Nations Framework on Climate Change. Notable signatories include the International Disability Alliance and regional disability organisations from Africa, ASEAN, Europe, the Arab region, and the Pacific Islands.

The IDDC outlined the reasoning for this initiative. Decreasing environmental health disproportionately impacts individuals with disabilities, exacerbates existing challenges, and creates new ones. Air pollution can worsen respiratory conditions. Climate-change-related events pose heightened risks for disabled people, specifically when accessing emergency services and safe shelters, which can be solved by implementing inclusive infrastructure. More likely to be faced with

socio-economic challenges, disabled people are even more susceptible. Additionally, due to a lack of attention to the subject, there isn’t sufficient data on the impact of climate and environmental change on disabled people.

The letter highlighted the need for human-rights-based climate finance targets (New Collective Quantified Goal), as well as the need for inclusion, and argued the

conference’s non-compliance with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy, both UN Treaties.

COP29 Outcomes on Advancing Disability Inclusion in Climate Action

A Delegation from the European Disability Forum attended COP29. Nadia Hadad, the delegation lead, spoke on behalf of the Disability Caucus. She starts by calling for the implementation of a Disability Constituency within the UNFCCC. The issue of lack of representation is put forward as she explains how lived experiences are

essential to crafting comprehensive solutions. All voices are not being equally considered if the 1.3 billion individuals with disabilities don't have legitimate representation. She then makes a point on climate finance and the importance of allocating funding to inclusive resilient strategies, and accessible infrastructure when addressing climate issues. Finally, she emphasizes the necessity for ensuring physical, communicational, and informational accessibility in climate-related decision-making.

Sustainable Development Goals that address disability

In 2015 the United Nations established 17 global objectives called Sustainable Development Goals to tackle urgent social, economic and environmental issues by the year 2030. Disability is addressed in various domains of the Sustainable Development Goals, 6 out of the 17 goals are relevant to issues relating to disability, and 7 of the targets set directly address these. Notably, the following topics of discussion may be highlighted: quality education, the fight against inequalities, and access to work and urban infrastructure. Indeed, disability, poverty, and

environmental sustainability are deeply interconnected. It is by understanding its impact on overlapping identities that solutions reach their optimum efficiency. Climate change is a universal and complex challenge that needs to be addressed through an intersectional perspective.

Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being Goal 4: Quality Education

Goal: Decent Work and Economic Growth Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities

Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities