A Call for Disability-Inclusive Climate Action in India and Globally

By Disability-Inclusive Climate Collaboration

Mariwala Health Initiative | National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People [NCPEDP] | Shanta Memorial Rehabilitation Center [SMRC] | Swadhikaar | Rising Flame | The Sangyan | Women with Disabilities India Network |

Joint Statement for #COP28

“Climate change has been demonstrated to have both a direct and indirect impact on the effective enjoyment of a wide range of human rights, including the rights of persons with disabilities. Persons with disabilities are often among those most adversely affected in an emergency, sustaining disproportionately higher rates of morbidity & mortality, & at the same time being among those least able to have access to emergency support.”

“The adverse impacts of climate change on individuals with multiple vulnerability factors, including women and girls with disabilities, require adequate measures that take into account their specific requirements and ensure their participation in disaster response planning for emergency situations and evacuations, humanitarian emergency response and healthcare services.”

“The meaningful participation, inclusion and leadership of persons with disabilities and their representative organizations within disaster risk management and climate-related decision-making at the local, national, regional and global levels, lies at the heart of an approach to climate action that is respectful of the rights of persons with disabilities.”

Source: OHCHR

Call for Freedom, Equality and Justice for Persons with Disabilities

Human Rights Day is observed by the international community every year on 10 December. It commemorates the day in 1948 the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 10 December 2023 marks the 75th anniversary of one of the world’s most groundbreaking global pledges: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

Human rights are rights we have simply because we exist as human beings — they are not granted by any state. Human rights are universal and inalienable and all human rights are indivisible and interdependent.

In 2022, in a historic move, the UN General Assembly Declared a Healthy Environment a Human Right. The General Assembly said climate change and environmental degradation were some of the most pressing threats to humanity’s future. It called on states to step up efforts to ensure their people have access to a “clean, healthy and sustainable environment.”

Accessibility is Freedom. Accessibility is an agency/medium that allows one to access & enjoy fundamental human rights & freedoms, like education, speech and expression, healthcare, movement, employment, etc., that are necessary for living a meaningful life with inherent dignity. Universal Accessibility constitutes a Standard in Human Rights and Sustainable Development.

Both Climate Action and Universal Accessibility are sine qua non (absolutely indispensable) in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (Agenda 2023), especially for vulnerable communities, including children, women, old adults and persons with disabilities, who are disproportionately impacted by the lack of inclusive climate action and universal accessibility and consequently being subject to threat multiplier effect on various aspects of their basic human rights.

The theme for 2023 is Freedom, Equality and Justice for All.

The Sangyan and Poornamidam calls for —
1. Freedom from Disability Exclusion, Climate Emergency, and Inaccessibility.
2. Equality in Climate Action, Universal Access, and Built Environment.
3. Inclusive Environmental, Climate, and Disability Justice.