Climate finance out of reach for people with disabilities

Complicated grant conditions and inaccessible information are shutting persons with disabilities and their representative organisations out of climate finance opportunities across the Pacific.

Pacific Disability Forum Australian Humanitarian Partnership regional coordinator Tepola Rabuli raised the concern during a Pre-COP31 panel at the Sofitel Fiji Resort and Spa on Denarau yesterday.

Ms Rabuli said the lack of simplified small grants was one of the major challenges facing persons with disabilities and their representative organisations.

“Where the big grants are, I don’t know about the terms and conditions that just make it impossible for persons with disabilities and their representative organisations to access them,” Ms Rabuli said.

She said grant requirements could create barriers before organisations were even able to apply.

“The terms and conditions are laid out in the grants. That is not accessible,” she said.

Ms Rabuli said the way information and application forms were provided created another obstacle.

“Sometimes the information does not have accessible formats for persons with disabilities or representative organisations to be able to access those forms,” she said.

She said the barriers went beyond climate finance to communication, infrastructure, transport and access to essential identification and services.

“These are already creating barriers that we do not have to go through,” she said.

These barriers, she said, limited the ability of persons with disabilities to participate equally in consultations and decision-making at national and regional levels.

Ms Rabuli said the forum was working with government, development and regional partners to reduce those barriers and ensure persons with disabilities could participate on an equal basis.