EU-CORD reflections from a COP29 session on Gender Just and Disability Inclusive Climate Action
At a recent COP29 preparatory session, co-convened by the European Disability Forum, CBM, and the IDDC Climate Task Group, the message was clear: we cannot achieve climate justice without disability inclusion, and we cannot ensure inclusion without better data.
Hosted in a spirit of solidarity, participation, and intersectionality, the session provided a platform for a range of voices—from women with disabilities to global policy experts—highlighting how current climate strategies risk deepening inequalities by failing to include persons with disabilities, particularly women and girls.
The Data Gap: A Barrier to Justice
“When we ask why persons with disabilities are being left behind, we’re often told: ‘There is no data to support it.’” – Salma Mahboob, Bangladesh
Despite multiple global commitments, too few countries collect or use disability-disaggregated data in climate-related planning. Without visibility in data, persons with disabilities remain excluded from early warning systems, disaster response, and climate finance.
This invisibility is not neutral—it’s a form of structural exclusion. And it’s one that must be addressed with urgency, resourcing, and political will.
Data as Power: A Participatory Approach
Speakers emphasised that inclusive data isn’t just about numbers—it’s about who collects it, how it’s used, and who benefits. Professor Elisa Morgera, UN Special Rapporteur on Climate Change and Human Rights, called for a participatory approach to knowledge and policy-making:
“Persons with disabilities must be co-researchers and knowledge holders in data processes—not merely subjects of data collection.”
From community mapping in Kenya to leadership by OPDs in Brazil and the Philippines, the session showed how persons with disabilities are not only vulnerable to climate impacts—they are central to the solutions.
The session also referenced a new report by the Bond Disability and Development Group and the International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC), titled “Unequal Climate Justice for People with Disabilities: Insights and Evidence from Communities and Civil Society Organisations.”
Drawing on lived experiences and local knowledge, the report highlights how people with disabilities are disproportionately affected by climate change—and how their exclusion from data, policy, and planning deepens this injustice. It presents evidence and practical recommendations to support more inclusive, equitable, and community-driven climate action.
📄 Read the full report: Unequal Climate Justice for People with Disabilities – Bond and IDDC (PDF)
EU-CORD in this space
In EU-CORD, we are developing a network-wide disability inclusion policy, building on years of collaboration with members such as SeeYou Foundation and The Leprosy Mission. Both organisations have provided valuable leadership and insight, supporting others across the network to strengthen their disability-inclusive practices in development and humanitarian settings.
It was also encouraging to see Mission East—a mainstream humanitarian and development organisation actively working to embed disability inclusion—participating in the session. Mission East not only engages on these issues within its programming but also advocates at global forums such as COP, helping to ensure disability inclusion is visible in climate policy discussions.
