By IDA

 - September 15, 2022

On 2 September 2022, a delegation from IDA - Yannis Vardakastanis, IDA's President, Vladimir Cuk, the Executive Director, and Jose Viera, the Advocacy Director - attended the G7 Global Inclusion Summit 2022.

The day marked an historical moment for IDA, as for the first time ever, an organization representing persons with disabilities was invited to the G7 table. It was IDA's hope to see this Inclusion Summit aligning governmental priorities with those of persons with disabilities and to act as a catalyst to advance disability rights.

Yannis Vardakastanis posing for a picture at the G7

"At a time where all eyes are on global leaders to define new paths that leave no one behind, G7 States and organizations like IDA must work together to incorporate the rights and needs of persons with disabilities in humanitarian, climate and development action. Let us work jointly to see, in the next 8 years and beyond, concrete and measurable actions for persons with disabilities," said Vardakastanis at the meeting.

Recognizing the mandate of the Inclusion Summit as a driver for change, IDA’s delegation attended the meeting with the objective to ensure representation, and that the perspective of persons with disabilities was included, thus enriching and the discussion and collaboration among G7 countries.

Jose Viera speaking with other delegates

At these meetings, Viera urged States that urgent action must be taken in in three areas:

  1. States need to revise their policies and commitments to ensure inclusion
  2. Persons with disabilities must participate in climate change negotiations and decisions
  3. There needs to be an allocation of adequate and sustainable resources to ensure disability-inclusive climate action

Find the G7 Global Inclusion Summit 2022: Chair's Summary here.