15th November 2026, Brussels
The European Disability Forum calls on the European Union to ensure disability rights are systematically included in the EU’s climate priorities and negotiating positions, on the occasion of COP31 – the United Nations flagship Climate Conference.
Persons with disabilities are still too often overlooked in climate policies, financing, and decision-making, despite facing higher risks and additional barriers due to climate change and climate-related disasters. These include barriers to accessing early warnings, evacuation, transport, shelters, healthcare, rehabilitation, livelihoods, and essential support.
Despite these higher risks, and the Paris Agreement’s recognition of the importance of the rights of persons with disabilities, action on disability inclusion remains inconsistent and fragmented.
COP31 provides an opportunity to act, and the EU should lead this change.
The EU must champion disability inclusion at COP31
The EU presents an inclusive and Just Transition as an important part of its climate agenda. Yet, the European disability movement is increasingly concerned about the lack of EU progress in advancing disability-inclusive climate action.
This means moving beyond general references to “vulnerable groups” and explicitly recognising persons with disabilities as rights-holders, participants and leaders in climate action.
The EU must recognise and support persons with disabilities as experts and advocates with knowledge and experience that can make climate action more effective. One such action must be to support the disability movement’s inclusion in climate talks. The Disability Climate Caucus now brings together organisations of persons with disabilities and allies from around the world. The EU must spearhead its recognition as an official constituency.
The message is simple: there can be no climate justice without disability rights, and no Just Transition without the meaningful participation of persons with disabilities.
COP31 is the moment to do it.
We call on the European Union and the European Commission’s Directorate-General on Climate Action to:
- support formal recognition of the Disability Climate Caucus as an official United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) constituency, with equivalent rights and opportunities for participation as other constituencies;
- champion meaningful participation of organisations of persons with disabilities across UNFCCC processes, including negotiations, constituted bodies and work programmes, with resources available to enable their participation;
- ensure disability inclusion across the EU’s COP31 positions, rather than addressing it as a stand-alone issue. This should include the Just Transition Work Programme, the Global Goal on Adaptation, the Gender Action Plan, Nationally Determined Contributions, Action for Climate Empowerment, and climate finance;
- push for disability-inclusive adaptation, including accessible early warning systems and disaster risk reduction, disability-inclusive adaptation indicators and meaningful participation by local organisations of persons with disabilities in locally led adaptation;
- ensure the Just Transition includes persons with disabilities, including access to green jobs, skills development, entrepreneurship and social protection;
- take climate finance disability-inclusive. Climate finance mechanisms should track whether funding reaches persons with disabilities, support direct and flexible financing for organisations of persons with disabilities , and require transparent reporting on disability inclusion. Accessibility and reasonable accommodation should be planned and budgeted from the outset rather than treated as additional costs;
- promote disability-disaggregated data and measurable outcomes, so governments can demonstrate whether climate policies and investments are actually reaching persons with disabilities;
- ensure accessibility throughout climate action, including accessible climate information, early warnings, meetings, documentation, digital platforms, infrastructure, and emergency communications.