People with disabilities not often included in climate change discussions - Navoce

Persons with disabilities are often not included in discussions and more than often they are brought in as rubber stamps.

This was highlighted by Pacific Disability Forum’s Gender and Youth Officer Naomi Navoce who was speaking at the Climate Action Pacific Partnership Conference.

The two day conference which is being attended by 350 participants from around the region ends today.

Navoce says people with disabilities and their families need coping strategies and robust systems and mechanisms that can mitigate and minimize the harmful effects of climate change.

She says one key voice that needs to be heard around the Talanoa table is the voice of the civil society which includes disabled peoples’ organizations and persons with disabilities.

Persons with disabilities are the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change as they are at a higher risk to the effects.

She says people with disabilities make up 17 percent of the population in the Pacific.

The Pacific Disability Forum represents the voice of members who are from disabled persons’ organizations, disability service providers, disability NGO’s and individuals.