On Tuesday, 10 September, eight disability rights organisations representing regional and international interests, including the European Disability Forum, sent a letter to the parties to the Paris Agreement to denounce the exclusion of the disability movement from the United Nations’ climate change negotiations.
They criticise the bureaucratic obstacles preventing an official “constituency”—i.e., a formal representative group that has already been granted to others, such as women and young people—from being created within UN frameworks.
The absence of such a group would limit the participation of persons with disabilities in negotiations, depriving them of equal rights to speak at plenary sessions and to receive information ahead of discussions.
By way of reminder, the organisations point out that people with disabilities are particularly vulnerable when faced with the impact of climate change; they consequently decry [the lack of a “disability constituency”] as a violation of international treaties, such as the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy.
The signatories urge the parties involved to clarify and expedite the process for recognising a “constituency” by COP 29, which will be held in Azerbaijan in November, so as to ensure equitable participation.
Read the letter: https://aeur.eu/f/dfj (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)