Pacific

This page features the news on disability from Pacific in the Debrief Library. See also news from other countries.

Contents

Climate Crisis and Environment

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Podcast with Sainimili Tawake who works as inclusive development advisor for the Pacific Disability Forum. (No transcript, Dec, UNDP)

Disability and Climate change Findings discussions with disabled people in Kiribati, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu.

“Many of the impacts highlighted in this report relate to exclusionary practices that already exist. This ranges from discrimination within the household to exclusion from policy formation and policy implementation. For example, persons with disabilities may not be prioritised when a household is experiencing a shortage of food or water. Similarly, persons with disabilities are often not considered in disaster risk management, such as the design of evacuation procedures and evacuation shelters. Without concerted action, the impact of exclusion on persons with disabilities will become worse under climate change.”

“Climate change is also introducing new risks; for example, by forcing a change in agricultural and fishing practices. On the one hand, persons with disabilities already experience barriers to engage in farming and fishing, with many reliant on marginal or subsistence agriculture. Most agricultural produce is consumed within the household, with limited surplus sold at market. Falling yields from farming and home gardens further impact on food security and incomes. Persons with disabilities who have been able to overcome barriers and farm or work on small plantations are facing new barriers. As reported, farmers with disabilities may not be in a position to relocate their plantations and/or travel to more remote locations to farm. Similarly, new offshore fishing practices are creating new barriers to entry for persons with disabilities.” (link to pdf, Aug, Pacific Disability Forum)

Data and Research

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Introduction to Disability Data Advocacy Workshop for Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (Mar, UNFPA)

Disaster Risk Reduction and Crisis Response

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Australian NGOs enabling disability-inclusive disaster prep in Pacific (Mar, Pro Bono)

Pacific Disaster Ready: Disability inclusion tip sheets. (Sep, CBM Australia)

International Cooperation

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Organisations of Persons with Disabilities: Making a Difference in Vanuatu and Solomon Islands “It is testament to OPDs’ success that they have become sought-after partners for international agencies in the Pacific”. The report also describes how these agencies perceive and fund the OPD role limits what they can do and makes it harder for them to follow their own objectives. (Jun, CBM Global)

Australian leadership in disability inclusion at the 2022 Pacific Satellite Summit (Mar, CBM Australia)

Policy and Rights

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A short video with nice footage introducing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Jun, ILO)

Violence and Harassment

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Know your rights: Gender-Based Violence and Sexual and Reproductive Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic. (link to pdf, Feb, Women Enabled)