The Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), has educated stakeholders on their roles in inclusive climate change resilience and adaptation in Abia.
The two-day capacity building workshop which began on Wednesday in Umuahia, was organised for Organisation of Persons with Disabilities (OPDS), and government agencies.
Other participants were the Civil Society Organisations,, Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and the media.
The Senior Programme Manager, CCD, Mr Damian Ivom, said that the training was to let the stakeholders know the roles they could play in ensuring that the PWDs were mainstreamed into climate change policies and programmes.
He commended Abia State Government, especially the Ministry of Environment, for working towards developing a legal framework where climate change issues could be addressed.
“The good thing is that they have accepted that PWDs would be carried along as they develop that policy,” he said.
In a goodwill message, the Commissioner for Environment, Mr Philemon Asonye, lauded CCD, for organising the workshop and ensuring that issues concerning PWDs were brought to the front burner.
Asonye, represented by Mr Chris Ike, the Head of Department, Climate Change, said that the ministry had an ambitious plan for PWDs.
“We are in the process of developing a climate change policy and action plan that will speak to the needs of PWDs.
“We are developing adaptation and mitigation programmes that would build their resilience and make sure that whenever there are catastrophes they are not badly affected,” he said.
Mr Iroabuchi Alozie, Abia Chairman of Persons with Physical Disabilities, thanked the Centre for exposing the participants to the roles of various stakeholders, including the PWDs themselves.
