Bonn, Germany — At the sidelines of the Subsidiary Bodies session under the UN climate negotiations (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change SB64), a high-level side event is bringing urgent attention to a critical but often overlooked dimension of climate change: the disproportionate impacts on persons with disabilities.
The event is co-organized by the Centre for Climate-Resilient Development (KRED) at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, alongside a broad coalition of leading disability and humanitarian organizations, including the International Disability Alliance (IDA), CBM UK, the European Disability Forum (EDF), Humanity & Inclusion (Handicap International), and the International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC).
Held in Bonn, where the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies convene annually to advance technical negotiations ahead of the COP climate summit, the side event seeks to elevate disability inclusion as a central pillar of both climate action and humanitarian response frameworks.
Making the Invisible Visible
Despite being among the groups most affected by climate-related disasters and forced displacement, persons with disabilities remain significantly underrepresented in climate policy, data systems, and emergency planning.
Speakers at the event will emphasize that this invisibility is not merely a data gap, but a structural issue that shapes whose needs are considered in climate adaptation, disaster preparedness, and refugee protection policies.
The discussion will highlight how extreme weather events, environmental degradation, and conflict-induced displacement disproportionately affect persons with disabilities—often amplifying existing inequalities in access to shelter, healthcare, transportation, and emergency assistance.
Data as a Foundation for Inclusion
A central focus of the event is the urgent need for disability-disaggregated data in climate and humanitarian systems. Without reliable data, speakers argue, policymakers cannot fully understand vulnerability patterns or design effective, inclusive responses.
The event will showcase evidence demonstrating how data gaps continue to exclude persons with disabilities from climate planning frameworks, and why improving data collection is essential for building equitable and resilient societies.
Centering Lived Experience and Leadership
In addition to policy and technical discussions, the side event places strong emphasis on lived experience. Refugee leaders and persons with disabilities will share testimonies on how climate-related displacement has affected their lives, and how inclusive approaches can improve protection and resilience outcomes.
Organizers stress that inclusion is not only about vulnerability but also about agency—recognizing persons with disabilities as active contributors to climate solutions rather than passive recipients of assistance.
A Call to Action for Climate Governance
The side event aims to deliver a clear message to governments and international organizations participating in SB64: disability inclusion must be systematically embedded into climate adaptation strategies, displacement policy frameworks, and financing mechanisms.
Organizers hope the discussion will help shift disability inclusion from a marginal consideration to a core principle of global climate governance.
As negotiations continue in Bonn, the event underscores a growing recognition that effective climate action cannot be achieved without addressing the unequal social impacts of climate change—and ensuring that no one is left behind.