The Abia State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), has pledged effective collaboration with the Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) in the area of disaster response for persons with disabilities (PWDs).
The Executive Secretary of SEMA, Dr Sunday Jackson gave the assurance during the CCD’s advocacy visit to his office in Umuahia on Friday.
Jackson expressed gratitude to the group for its efforts in protecting the rights of PWDs and vulnerable persons in the society.
He commended the centre for conducting a survey on climate change as it pertained to PWDs in the state.
The SEMA boss disclosed that the government would soon develop a policy document on climate change that would be inclusive, in line with the survey done by the centre.
“The PWDs are vulnerable and mostly affected by disasters whenever they occur.
“So, we will look for areas where we can respond effectively to them whenever there is disaster.
“The PWDs were effectively carried along in the last intervention we had in line with the the Federal Government and we will continue to do so subsequently,” he said.
Speaking earlier, the Senior Programme Officer, CCD, Mr Damian Ivom, told the executive secretary that the reason for the visit was to brief him on the centre’s work in promoting inclusive climate change for PWDs in the state.
He said that the group conducted a survey on the impact of climate change on PWDs in the three senatorial zones in the state.
Ivom said that the findings revealed lack of awareness on disability-inclusive climate change, barriers to participation, increased vulnerability as well as inadequate policy and support system.
He, therefore, requested collaboration with the agency on the area of disaster management.
“Vulnerable persons like the PWDs are mostly affected by any disaster such as climate change, flood, building collapse, fire accident and others,” he said.
Heads of different clusters in the disability community were part of the advocacy visit.(NAN)
