Report of Two-Day Roundtable Discussion on Disability-Inclusive Climate Change Action

By Jamila Abdulrahman

Introduction

The Grassroots Center for Rights and Civic Orientation (GRACO) participated in a 2-day Joint Advocacy and Roundtable Discussions on Disability Inclusive Climate Change Action organized by the Advocacy for Women with Disability Initiative (AWWDI), in collaboration with the Disability Rights Fund. The objective of the event was to present findings from AWWDI’s newly published book, “A Practical Guide for Inclusive Climate Actions for
Women and Girls with Disabilities,” and to deepen policy conversations that address the intersectionality of disability, gender and climate change.

The event brought together stakeholders from various sectors to discuss the intersectionality of climate change, disability and gender and to develop strategies for promoting inclusivity in climate resilient initiatives. GRACO was represented by the Programs and GESI Manager who actively participated in the roundtable, and contributed her expertise and experience in promoting disability rights and inclusive development.

The roundtable commenced with a key note address by the Program Manager of AWWDI, Kolawole Jayeoba who emphasized the need for inclusive climate change policies and programs that cater for the unique needs of women and girls with disabilities. He also highlighted the impact of climate change on women and girls with disabilities, and challenges in accessing climate information and services for persons with disabilities and the role of stakeholders in promoting disability-inclusive climate change action.

A Practical Guide for Inclusive Climate Change Actions for Women and Girls with
Disabilities

The event further featured presentation made by AWWDI National Coordinator on the Practical Guide for Inclusive Climate Change Action for Women and Girls with Disabilities.

Key highlights from the presentation include:
 Recognizing the impact of climate change on women with disabilities
 Understanding climate change impact, policies and human rights and disability in
Nigeria
 Disability inclusive climate campaigns
 Inclusive climate Finance
 Climate Adaptation and Resilience for Person With Disability

The National Coordinator, Mrs. Bilikisu Yakubu further discussed that the guide is an effort by AWWDI which is
aimed at empowering policy makers, advocacy groups and communities with the knowledge to integrate disability-inclusive approaches into climate change responses and ensuring that no one is left behind.

The Grassroots Center Programs and GESI Manager contributed to the discussions by highlighting the critical needs of persons with disabilities. She said that to create a truly inclusive climate change movement, person with disability must have accessible climate change information and early warning system for women and girls with disabilities. She advocated that this should include those with visual, hearing, or intellectual disabilities. She called on both state and non-state stakeholders to ensure the needs and perspectives of vulnerable people are taken into account. Ms. Abdulrahman noted that by prioritizing the needs and perspectives of women and girls with disabilities, Nigeria can build a more inclusive and resilient response to climate change. She further added that the Grassroots Center is currently using its platform to amplify the voices of the vulnerable and marginalized groups to hold duty
bearers accountable.

Climate Change and Disability Inclusion: (Bridging the Gaps)

The event also featured discussions on bridging the gaps as climate change in order to address how it disproportionately affects people with disabilities, exacerbating existing inequalities in healthcare access, poverty,
and social exclusion. The discussions focused on:
1. Inclusive Policy Development: States should design climate policies that consider the rights of persons with disabilities; ensuring policies don't violate their rights and reduce carbon emissions to avoid negative human rights impacts.
2. Meaningful Participation: People with disabilities and their representative organizations should be involved in climate-related decision-making processes, as mandated by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the Paris Agreement.
3. Disability-Inclusive Climate Finance: Allocate dedicated climate finance for disability-inclusive adaptation and mitigation strategies, ensuring funding is accessible to all persons with disabilities in affected communities.
4. Transparency and Accountability: Track how climate finance resources benefit disability-inclusive initiatives and communities, using indicators and disaggregated data to monitor disability inclusion.
5. Capacity Building: Provide capacity-building opportunities for people with disabilities to enhance their skills and knowledge on climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Strengthening Voice and Accountability: Building Movement for Inclusive Climate
Action

During the event, stakeholders discussed that it is essential to strengthen the voice and accountability of marginalized communities, and to achieve that, it is essential to establish accountability mechanisms to track progress, identify gaps and ensure that climate change actions are inclusive and responsive to the needs of marginalized communities. Stakeholders also discussed the need to foster partnership and strengthen collaboration
with other key stakeholders including the governments, civil society organization, development partners, to promote inclusive climate action. During the roundtable discussion, Grassroots Centre Programs and GESI Manager highlighted key strategies to strengthening voice and accountability for inclusive climate change action;
1. Community –Led Initiatives that prioritize the need and perspectives of women and girls with disabilities.
2. Promote inclusive climate governance structures that ensure the participation of marginalized communities in decision-making processes.
3. Ensure that climate information and resources are accessible to women and girls with disabilities, including those with visual, hearing, or intellectual disabilities.

Building Inclusive Climate Change Action: Collaborating with Environmental and
Climate Focused CSOs

The discussion focused on building inclusive climate action through collaboration with
environmental and climate-focused civil society organizations (CSOs) for effective climate
governance. Stakeholders deliberated on strategies for collaboration as:
 Foster Inclusivity and Equity: Ensure that CSOs prioritize the needs and perspectives of marginalized communities, particularly women and girls with disabilities.
 Build Trust and Relationships: Establish trust among stakeholders, including governments, private sectors, and CSOs, to facilitate effective collaboration.
 Develop Strategic Frameworks: Create frameworks that integrate diverse sectors and promote synergizing efforts across sectors.
 Empower Marginalized Communities: Empower communities to take ownership of climate action initiatives, providing them with necessary resources and support. These strategies for collaboration will amplify the impact of climate change initiative, increasing their reach and effectiveness and also facilitate collaborative effort to promote transparency and accountability, ensuring that climate change actions are equitable and just.

Key recommendations

Based on the discussions at the event, participants made the following
recommendations:
1. Develop and implement policies that cater for the unique needs of women and girls with disability.
2. Recognize an official disability constituency in intergovernmental climate negotiation processes to bring disability perspective and experiences to climate change policies
3. Build the capacity of stakeholders, including governments, civil society organizations and development partners, to promote inclusive climate resilience initiatives.
4. Foster partnership and collaboration among stakeholders to promote inclusive climate resilience for women and girls with disability.

Conclusion

The two-day advocacy roundtable organized by AWWDI provided a platform for stakeholders to share experiences, network, identify challenges and develop strategies for promoting inclusive climate resilience for women and girls with disabilities. Grassroots Center’s participation and contributions to the event were instrumental in highlighting the need for inclusive climate policies and programs that cater to the unique need of women and girls with disabilities. The recommendations emerging from the roundtable will inform advocacy efforts and programming aimed at promoting inclusive climate resilience for women and girls with disabilities.