UN: Persons with disabilities suffer more from housing, climate-related disasters

Persons with disabilities suffer more from the lack of housing security, forced evictions, climate-related disasters, and growing urban poverty, stated Heba Hagrass, the representative on the rights of persons with disabilities at the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, during a video address at the "Roundtable on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities" organized within the framework of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) held in Baku.

According to her, housing is the foundation of human dignity, independence, security, and participation in public life:

"However, for millions of persons with disabilities around the world, adequate housing still remains out of reach. This is not due to individual limitations, but because cities and systems are still built without taking us into account."

The representative noted that although the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, particularly Articles 9 and 19, establishes clear obligations, accessibility in many urban environments is still perceived as a secondary issue or a charitable addition:

"This reactive approach built on exemptions and adaptations is no longer viable. It is an approach that is both costly, discriminatory and contradicts the principle of equality."