30 January 2025

Meeting summary - Please note that this summary was mainly AI generated and may not be 100% accurate. The meeting was organised and hosted by International Disability Alliance (IDA) and European Disability Forum (EDF). Participants were invited through the Disability Climate Action Caucus and accompanying WhatsApp group. 24 people attended, representing OPDs and ally organisations from 17 countries - please see annex attached.

1. Welcome and Introductions

The meeting commenced with Gordon welcoming all attendees. A brief introduction round followed where representatives from various organizations introduced themselves and their affiliations. Gordon highlighted the importance of this session as it marked a critical reflection on COP29’s outcomes while also setting the stage for future advocacy efforts, particularly regarding disability inclusion in climate discussions.

2. Agenda Overview

Gordon outlined the agenda:

·         Summary of COP29 and the Disability Caucus

·         Next steps – discussion

3. Summary of COP29 and the Disability Caucus

Pre-COP29 Activities included:

·         Conducted training sessions for persons with disabilities and organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) on climate change advocacy.

·         Held preparatory meetings to establish key advocacy messages and strategies.

·         Engaged in bilateral meetings with key stakeholders to discuss accessibility and representation.

·         Secured funding to support the participation of disability advocates at COP29

During COP29:

·         Daily Disability Caucus Meetings: Attended by over 40 participants from 23 countries, including 17 from the Global South.

·         Recognition by Other Constituencies: The Disability Caucus was invited to:

o   Speak at the People’s Plenary.

o   Engage in at least one other constituency-organized event.

o   Participate in the Human Rights and Climate Change Working Group.

·         High-Level Engagement:

o   Participated in two high-level sessions.

o   Delivered an official statement during the resumed high-level segment, read by Nadia Hadad on behalf of the Disability Caucus.

·         Side Events:

o   Two official Blue Zone side events co-organized with Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Climate Action Network.

o   Multiple other disability-led events discussing intersectionality and disability rights in climate action.

·         Accessibility Improvements:

o   For the first time, sign language interpretation was provided at COP main events.

o   Physical accessibility was significantly better compared to previous COPs.

o   However, significant gaps remained in the accessibility of side events, particularly regarding information and including in providing sign language interpretation and captioning.

·         Challenges Faced:

o   Accessibility gaps in climate discussions, particularly around information sharing.

o   High costs associated with providing sign interpretation at side events.

o   Lack of strong commitments to human rights and disability inclusion in the final COP29 documents.

Progress of the Disability Caucus

·         The caucus now consists of over 62 organizations globally, nearly half being organizations of persons with disabilities.

·         Discussions with UNFCCC on official constituency recognition were inconclusive but resulted in a commitment (by UNFCCC) to reply by 31 March.

·         Identified key thematic areas for strategic focus:

o   Just Transition.

o   Global Goal on Adaptation.

o   Gender Action Plan.

o   Climate Finance.

Discussion and next steps

Advocacy & Engagement:

·         CBM UK: Expressed interest in Just Transition Gender Action Plan and NDCs.

·         Sightsavers: Volunteered to lead together with an OPD to start outlining different areas of work, to show people where it would be possible to contribute

·         World Institute on Disability: Interested in participation but have other immediate priorities so request space for next couple of months.

·         African Disability Forum also want to be engaged where possible

·         Heal Earth: Expressed concern about the growing gap in climate advocacy for children and youth with disabilities and committed to focusing on this area.

·         Members were encouraged to join relevant working groups (e.g. Human Rights Working Group) and the Women and Gender Constituency are open to engagement from the members of the disability Caucus

·         Strengthening collaborations with other constituencies was identified as a priority.

Capacity Building & Training:

·         Agreement to conduct more training sessions for OPDs and other disability-focused organizations ahead of COP30.

·         CBM to share existing training materials as open-source resources.

Planning for COP30:

·         Recognized the need for Global South leadership in organizing disability caucus activities for COP30 (Brazil).

·         Camila expressed interest to be involved.

·         IDA is exploring logistic and financial support options.

Momentum:

·         CBM Global asked about keeping the momentum going and offered to support OPDs in this work where possible. IDA responded that all support is welcome and that they will get back to the caucus on this topic.

Next steps:

·         IDA to follow-up on advocacy and engagement points identified, and to inform the caucus about next meeting (content and date)

6. Closing Remarks

Gordon thanked all participants for their contributions and reaffirmed the commitment to continuous engagement.

A follow-up email with meeting notes and relevant links will be shared.

More information

Please contact

·         Alradi Abdalla aabdalla@ida-secretariat.org

·         Gordon Rattray gordonrattray@gmail.com

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