The Coalition of Organisations of Persons with Disabilities on Climate Change (COPD-CC) has urged world leaders, governments, and international climate institutions to make disability inclusion a priority in global climate policies, financing, and decision-making at the ongoing 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Antalya, Türkiye.
The coalition made the call in a press statement issued on Thursday, November 12, 2026, in Abuja, Nigeria, urging climate negotiators and development partners to ensure that persons with disabilities are meaningfully represented in climate governance and have equitable access to climate adaptation and resilience programmes.
According to the coalition, persons with disabilities face disproportionate risks from climate-related challenges, including flooding, drought, extreme weather events, food insecurity and environmental degradation. It attributed these heightened risks to barriers such as inaccessible climate information, inadequate emergency preparedness, exclusion from decision-making processes and limited access to climate financing.
The coalition also drew attention to the particular challenges confronting women and girls with disabilities, noting that they experience intersecting forms of discrimination, increased exposure to gender-based violence and additional barriers to livelihoods, protection and participation in climate interventions.
Emphasising the need to change how persons with disabilities are positioned in climate action, COPD-CC maintained that they should not be treated merely as beneficiaries of climate programmes but recognised as rights-holders, innovators and community leaders whose knowledge and contributions are essential to developing sustainable climate solutions.
One of the coalition’s major demands is the formal recognition and approval of a Disability Constituency within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It argued that the existing recognition of the Disability Caucus as an informal NGO group does not provide sufficient institutional recognition or adequate opportunities for participation in climate negotiations.
According to the coalition, the proposed constituency would provide a structured platform for organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) to coordinate their engagement, make interventions, and contribute directly to global climate decisions.
COPD-CC also called on governments to establish mechanisms that guarantee the participation of OPDs in the development, implementation and monitoring of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), climate policies and disaster-risk-reduction frameworks.
On climate financing, the coalition urged governments, bilateral donors and international climate-finance institutions to establish accessible funding mechanisms, dedicate resources to disability-inclusive climate programmes and support adaptation initiatives led by organisations of persons with disabilities.
It stressed that climate investments should include measurable disability-inclusion outcomes, transparent accountability mechanisms and simplified funding procedures to enable grassroots disability organisations to access available resources.
The coalition further called for accessible early-warning systems and disaster preparedness mechanisms, insisting that weather forecasts, emergency alerts and evacuation instructions should be provided in formats accessible to people with different disabilities. These include sign language, audio announcements, captions, Braille, large print, easy-to-read materials and screen-reader-compatible digital platforms.
It added that emergency shelters, evacuation routes, sanitation facilities and humanitarian response services must also be accessible, while OPDs should be involved in community risk assessments, preparedness exercises and post-disaster evaluations.
On gender inclusion and economic empowerment, COPD-CC called for deliberate measures to protect women and girls with disabilities from gender-based violence, displacement-related risks and economic insecurity. It also urged governments and development partners to expand opportunities for persons with disabilities in green employment, renewable energy, climate-smart agriculture, entrepreneurship, vocational training and accessible financial services.
The coalition identified research, innovation and disability-disaggregated data as important components of inclusive climate governance. It advocated stronger data collection and utilisation in climate vulnerability assessments, adaptation planning, disaster preparedness and climate-finance monitoring, alongside participatory research and accessible technologies to document the experiences and contributions of persons with disabilities.
It maintained that disability inclusion must move beyond policy declarations and be supported by measurable indicators, dedicated budgets, implementation timelines and effective reporting mechanisms across climate programmes and financing arrangements.
Call for stronger disability inclusion in Nigeria’s climate commitments
Specifically addressing the Nigerian Government, COPD-CC called for disability inclusion to be integrated into the country’s national climate commitments, adaptation plans and policies. It also demanded meaningful representation of OPDs in Nigeria’s climate delegations and international engagements.
The coalition urged the Federal Government to strengthen accessible climate information and early-warning systems, allocate dedicated resources for disability-inclusive climate adaptation and improve collaboration among disability organisations and relevant government institutions.
Among the institutions identified for stronger collaboration were the National Council on Climate Change, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and relevant state institutions.
It further called for expanded opportunities for persons with disabilities to participate in green employment, renewable energy, climate-smart agriculture and other climate-resilient livelihood programmes.
In its appeal to international climate-finance institutions, including the Green Climate Fund, Adaptation Fund and Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, the coalition urged them to make disability inclusion an operational requirement in climate investments.
It called for direct funding opportunities for OPD-led initiatives, accessible grant procedures, technical assistance for disability-led organisations and increased support for gender-responsive, community-based climate adaptation and resilience programmes.
Reaffirming its commitment to strengthening the voice, capacity, leadership and participation of organisations of persons with disabilities in Nigeria’s climate governance processes, COPD-CC expressed readiness to collaborate with governments, civil society organisations, research institutions and development partners.
The coalition urged world leaders attending COP31 to move beyond general commitments and translate disability inclusion into institutional recognition, meaningful representation, accessible financing, concrete investments and measurable accountability.
The statement was signed by the Coalition of Organisations of Persons with Disabilities on Climate Change, represented by Dr Kola Jayeoba.
COPD-CC comprises the Advocacy for Women with Disabilities Initiative (AWWDI), Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), Inclusive Friends Association (IFA), Disability Projects Initiative (DPI Nigeria), Disability Not a Barrier Initiative (DINABI), Hope Alive for Possibilities Initiative (HAPI), Sauri Growth Initiative for Women and Youth with Disabilities, Sound Abilities for Vulnerable Women Initiative Nigeria (SAVWIN) and Rebuilding Hope on Wheels Initiatives (RHOWI).
