Fostering disability inclusion awareness among key climate and water stakeholders
WaterAid and Water Sensitive Cities Australia are working with Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) in Cambodia, Viet Nam and Lao PDR to strengthen key climate and water decision makers’ knowledge and understanding of disability inclusion.
This project is supported by the Australian Government through the Australian Water Partnership.
Partner organisations: WaterAid (WA), Hanoi Association of People with Disabilities (DP Hanoi), Cambodian Disabled People's Organisation (CDPO), National School of Local Administration (NASLA) of the Ministry of the Interior (MoI), Laos Disabled People’s Association (LDPA)
Background
In the Mekong region, climate change and disasters exacerbate water insecurity, with people with disabilities being disproportionately affected due to accessibility barriers, health vulnerabilities and exclusion from planning. For example, extreme weather events such as floods and storms can overwhelm drainage systems and contaminate drinking water, leaving communities without clean water. Droughts and rising temperatures reduce freshwater availability, forcing people to rely on distant or unsafe sources. In coastal areas, sea level rise causes saltwater intrusion, making groundwater and agricultural land unusable. Damaged water and sanitation infrastructure create serious health risks, particularly for people with disabilities who may already face challenges in accessing water and hygiene services.
The 2023 Global Survey on Persons with Disabilities and Disasters found progress in protecting people with disabilities from disasters has been minimal. For example, 86% of survey respondents reported no participation in community-level DRR decision making and planning, even though 57% of respondents indicated they would be willing to participate.
UNDRR, 2023. Global Survey Report on Persons with Disabilities and Disasters. Geneva: UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).
What we’re doing
Working with project partners, WaterAid and Water Sensitive Cities Australia will:
- Support OPDs to in Cambodia, Viet Nam and Laos PDR to identify capability gaps
- Design, test and refine an accessible curriculum on disability inclusion with key climate and water government actors in Cambodia and Viet Nam, that aims to build their awareness. The curriculum will be adapted to the local context and policy landscape
- Facilitate and deliver a regional learning event in Phnom Penh that brings together diverse stakeholders to exchange knowledge, learning, evidence and practical experience.
We will also disseminate lessons from the project via a learning brief, online webinars and other opportunities.
How it will help
The expected outcomes from this project include:
- OPDs are strong leaders in national climate change and water-related disaster risk reduction
- Strengthened knowledge and capacity on disability inclusion among climate and water stakeholders and leaders
- Cross-regional learning and knowledge exchange on disability inclusion.
This work builds on earlier efforts in Viet Nam, where we partnered with DP Hanoi through a co-design approach, gathering inclusive data, providing training on collection methods, and supporting advocacy to shape water resources and disaster response policy.
See the video below.
The CRCWSC has produced research, guidelines and
tools related to the following topics:
Integrated Urban Flood
Management
Climate change
mitigation
Community
engagement
Economics and
business case