Floods in Mogadishu, SomaliaFarah Abdi Warsame/AP
on friday, The United Nations held a panel discussion on issues affecting the disability community ahead of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December. One topic that is becoming increasingly urgent for discussion is climate change.
“The specific long-term impacts of climate change on people with disabilities are poorly understood and usually overlooked,” said the conference moderator. United Nations Youth Office.
The fight to get the United Nations to recognize the impact of climate change on people with disabilities is being led by disability advocates, some of whom spoke at last year's COP27 climate summit, where people with disabilities were warned that heatwaves, floods and other extreme weather He gave a lecture about the kind of damage he had suffered. . When climate change disrupts infrastructure, people with disabilities face challenges such as struggling to obtain medication, seek medical care, and safely leave their homes.by who, Approximately one in six people lives with a disability.
People with disabilities “continue to be left behind, and the impact is devastating,” said Marcy Ross, the organization's executive director. World Institute on DisabilityAt a panel discussion on coexisting with the long coronavirus.
Ross said many communities are failing to implement disability-inclusive climate disaster plans, leading to disproportionate harm. “For people like me with discreet disabilities, the effects of disasters and the options to maintain health, safety, and independence are often challenging.” ”
The United Nations Human Rights Council pass a resolution In 2019, it called on member states to enact climate policies that respond to the needs of people with disabilities. Still, many countries do not follow suit.a 2022 report Researchers from McGill University and the International Union of Disabled People found that only 45 of the signatories to the United Nations' landmark 2015 climate change treaty, the Paris Agreement, even mentioned people with disabilities in their climate policies. It was discovered that there are only a few countries.
