We, together with the International Disability Alliance, attended the Bonn Climate Change Meetings, a UN Climate Conference held in June 2025 in Germany. We advocated for the strong involvement of persons with disabilities in Climate policy and events related to climate change, especially through our ongoing request for recognition of a Disability Constituency.
We used the opportunity to join a wider coalition of organisations to make this point at various events. We also co-hosted the side event ‘Just and Disability Inclusive Climate Action’. We demanded disability inclusion in the Gender Action Plan and data disaggregation by disability in all population survey work (data disaggregation by disability).
We also discussed the accessibility of these international events with representatives of the Brazilian government and the United Nations climate change agency, ahead of COP30.
New policy brief
We published a new policy brief outlining how EU policymakers can advance disability inclusion in climate action, to build on the momentum of this meeting ahead of COP30. A key proposal is to strengthen the representation of persons with disabilities in the European Climate Pact by introducing a dedicated Disability Ambassador profile, following the successful model of Youth Ambassadors.
It complements our analysis on the state of disability-inclusive climate policies across European and Central Asian countries.
Background on the Conference
More than 180 countries attended this annual event to continue discussions on climate action. The event serves as crucial preparations for this year’s climate summit (COP30) in Brazil.
Contact
An-Sofie Leenknecht, EDF Human Rights Coordinator (ansofie.leenknecht@edf-feph.org)