Incorporating the Principle of Leaving No One Behind in the GreenScent Project

Pilar Orero (UAB) and Chiara Gunella (UAB) – 24th of February 2023

As part of the GreenSCENT focus of leaving no one behind in the raising awareness of climate change Chiara Gunella from UAB participated in an online consultation aimed at amending Article 11 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) to include climate change induced disasters that have cascading and compounding impact on persons with disabilities.

The consultation was organized by NCPEDP, BAPU TRUST, SMRC, IFRA and SWADHIKAAR to draw the attention of national, regional, and international organizations to create disability-inclusive pathways for community climate action.

The major Recommendations coming out from this Consultation were as follows:

1. Special attention on women with disabilities as they are further marginalized by both climate change and disability

2. Better implementation of CRPD and other relevant international conventions and domestic legislations.

3. Taking into account new risk factors like Gram-positive bacteria. (https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/03d07&hl=en-IN&q=Gram-positive+bacteria&kgs=64091597d22a595e&shndl=17&source=sh/x/kp/osrp/4)

4. Individual and community-based approach to disability-inclusive climate justice.

5. Wider interpretation of Article 11 (no need to amend Article 11 but only interpret it more liberally).

6. Mental health and social impacts of climate change on persons with disabilities.

7. Incorporation of lived experiences of persons with disabilities with respect to climate change.

8. Inclusion of persons with disabilities in climate action planning and implementation.

9. Decentralization of planning and implementation of climate action.

10. Tracking new ways of climate change impacting our lives.

11. Climate change-induced migration must be taken care of and its impact on marginalized communities like urban poor.

12. Disability-inclusive Climate Resilience based on ‘Build Forward Better’ to realize the principle of ‘Leave No One Behind’.

13. Data collection on various aspects concerning the intersectionality between climate change and disability.

14. Climate change-induced loss and damage concerns of the persons with disabilities.

15. Risk profiling of vulnerable communities and ecosystems.

16. Need for intersectional and inter-generational disaggregated data

17. Relook of Disability-inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (DiDRR).

18. Need to look beyond just pre and post disasters issues like livelihood, food, energy, infrastructure, etc.

19. Inter-generational concerns of persons with disabilities with respect to climate change.

20. Climate change-induced poor working conditions resulting in disability needs to be addressed to tackle the challenge.

21. To monitor and report the outcomes and mitigations resulting from the application and of this article

To know more about the convention, read here: https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities.html