Let's change our perspective on disability: evening debate

17% of the Pacific population live with some form of disability, which represents at least 1.7 million people according to the latest estimates from the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) in 2020.

Changing our perspective on disability is essential to make our societies more inclusive and to give people with disabilities a full and visible place in society. Contemporary issues such as climate change call for urgent action to reduce the vulnerability of these individuals. Indeed, a person with a disability is four times more likely to die in natural disasters (source: Handicap International).

The meeting between the Pacific Community, New Caledonian disability associations (Association of Parents of Disabled Children of New Caledonia (APEHNC), Handicap Collective), and the Calédonienne Publication Agency (ACP) through Handicap Mag was the trigger for this specific event. This debate evening is part of the continuity of actions already undertaken through the PROTEGE project, which has an intervention plan in terms of social and environmental responsibility (SER), and more broadly of the actions of the SPC in terms of respect for human rights in the Pacific region.

What support is available for people with disabilities in New Caledonia?
Why was a ministerial delegate for disability created in French Polynesia?
How and why have inclusive strategies for managing disaster risks related to climate change been developed in Tonga?
These are some of the topics that will be discussed during this evening to promote better inclusivity for people with disabilities.

The debate evening also aims to encourage regional cooperation in the Pacific by exchanging visions and actions from the territories of New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna, French Polynesia, Tonga, and Fiji.

Program

The event is punctuated by various highlights including testimonials and varied presentations:

• the support and issues encountered in disability in New Caledonia,
• the experience with the creation of a Ministry of Disability in French Polynesia,
• the inclusion of people with disabilities in the disaster risk management strategy related to climate change in Tonga,
• the organization of inclusive elections in New Caledonia and the Pacific,
• the implementation of inclusive and accessible tools for people with disabilities (data management, Handicap Mag, digital tools, videos, etc.),
• a slam and a video on disability.

The event is funded by the Overseas Countries and Territories of the Pacific as part of the Social and Environmental Responsibility (SER) strategy of the PROTEGE project (itself funded by the European Union and implemented by the SPC).