By Agbo Christian Obiora
Abuja, Nigeria – June 27, 2025 — In a powerful push for environmental justice and equity, disability rights advocates, policymakers, and development partners have jointly called on the Federal Government and climate stakeholders to prioritize disability-inclusive climate action, especially for women and girls with disabilities.
The call came at the end of a two-day high-level Joint Policy Advocacy and Roundtable Discussion hosted by the Advocacy for Women with Disabilities Initiative (AWWDI) in partnership with the Disability Rights Fund (DRF). Held in Abuja from Wednesday, June 25 to Thursday, June 26, 2025, the event brought together a cross-section of influential voices—government agencies, civil society, emergency response bodies, and lawmakers—united around a common theme: “No Climate Justice Without Disability Inclusion.”
New Guideline Launched: A Practical Guide for Inclusive Climate Action
The convening served as the official platform for presenting AWWDI’s newly published book, “A Practical Guide for Inclusive Climate Actions for Women and Girls with Disabilities.” The groundbreaking manual outlines strategies to embed disability rights into climate governance, policies, and practices across Nigeria.
More than just a book launch, the gathering sparked robust policy conversations and breakout sessions, grounded in lived experiences, grassroots knowledge, and data-driven presentations. Women with disabilities shared emotional testimonies of how floods, displacement, and exclusion from relief interventions have deepened their vulnerability, making clear the urgent need for inclusive climate frameworks.
Devastating Realities: When Climate Change Meets Disability and Gender
The forum shed light on the alarming intersection of climate change, disability, and gender inequality. Participants noted that women and girls with disabilities are disproportionately affected by climate disasters, facing barriers that others simply don’t: inaccessible shelters during floods, lack of assistive devices in emergency relief, exclusion from town hall meetings on disaster preparedness, and more.
According to survey findings unveiled during the event, only 5% of women with disabilities in Nigeria believe they are considered in climate-related policies—a chilling statistic that points to systemic neglect.
Key Observations: The Challenges Are Structural and Deep
Seven critical challenges were highlighted:
- Worsening Vulnerabilities: Climate disasters magnify the discrimination, poverty, and healthcare challenges already faced by women with disabilities.
- Exclusion from Decision-Making: Women with disabilities are almost entirely absent from climate decision-making spaces.
- Policy Blind Spots: Current climate policies, budgets, and emergency responses lack disability considerations.
- Gaps in Financing: Post-disaster interventions rarely account for the needs of women with disabilities.
- Low Awareness: Many persons with disabilities, especially in rural communities, are unaware of climate change threats.
- Multiple Barriers: Physical, communication, and systemic barriers hinder full participation in climate action.
- Neglect in Narratives: The stories of women with disabilities are missing from public discussions on climate resilience.
Resolutions: From Margins to the Mainstream
In response, participants collectively resolved to:
- Integrate disability inclusion into all national and sub-national climate policy frameworks.
- Allocate dedicated funding for women with disabilities in disaster preparedness and adaptation programs.
- Promote inclusive climate education, including accessible formats for the blind, deaf, and intellectually disabled.
- Ensure active participation of women with disabilities in all climate governance processes—anchored by the principle: Nothing About Us Without Us.
- Empower grassroots women with disabilities to lead community-based adaptation and sustainability projects.
- Invest in inclusive infrastructure, especially in disaster-prone zones.
- Partner with the media to amplify voices of women with disabilities in climate discourse.
Call to Action: The Time for Inclusive Climate Policy Is Now
The forum issued a strong call to action to government institutions and stakeholders:
- The National Assembly and Climate Change Board were urged to collaborate with Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) to institutionalize disability rights within the broader climate agenda.
- The Federal Ministry of Environment, the National Council on Climate Change, and relevant agencies were called upon to adopt AWWDI’s guideline as an official working document.
- Policymakers at all levels were urged to review and revise current climate strategies to ensure they leave no one behind.
Strong Endorsements from Strategic Stakeholders
The communiqué released at the close of the event was endorsed by key institutions, including:
- National Council on Climate Change Secretariat (NCCCS)
- FCT Emergency Management Department (FEMD)
- National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)
- House of Representatives Committees on Climate Change and Disability
- National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA)
- Hope Alive for Possibilities Initiative (HAPI)
- Development Impact Pathfinder Initiative
- The Reachout Africa Development Initiative
- FCT Civil Society Organizations Strategy Group on SDGs (FCT CSOSG–SDGs)
These groups affirmed that inclusive climate action is no longer optional—it is an ethical, developmental, and human rights imperative.
“Nothing About Us Without Us”
In her closing remarks, Mrs. Patience Ogolo Dickson, Executive Director of AWWDI, reminded the audience that climate justice cannot be realized if the most marginalized continue to be ignored.
“This is about survival, dignity, and the right to live safely on a planet we all share,” she said. “Women and girls with disabilities are not asking for favors—we are demanding inclusion, leadership, and respect. We bring value, knowledge, and resilience to the climate struggle, and it is time we are seen, heard, and included.”
Looking Ahead
The event concluded with renewed commitments to deepen advocacy, monitor government actions, and scale grassroots programs that empower women with disabilities to become climate leaders.
As global temperatures rise and extreme weather events become more frequent, Nigeria must urgently rise to the challenge of building a resilient, inclusive, and equitable climate future—a future where women with disabilities are no longer afterthoughts, but frontline actors in shaping a sustainable tomorrow.
The message from Abuja is loud and clear: climate action must be inclusive, or it will not be just.
