COP30 was held in Belem, Brazil from 10th November to 21st November, 2025. Shanta Memorial Rehabilitation Centre, an observer member of UNFCCC took an active part with its team represented by Asha Hans, Reena Mohanty and Anu Das.  A side event was co-organized with CBM Global Disability Inclusion, International Disability Alliance and Coastal Development Partnership on 13th November where Asha Hans, Executive Vice President of SMRC was one  of the speakers. The topic of discussion was – “From Exclusion to Action: Global South Women with Disabilities Leading Inclusive Climate Solutions”.

A Disability Caucus was set up at  COP 30 by disability organizations who advocated for recognizing it as a disability constituency.

At the Disability Caucus Stall (Booth No.39) which was set up in the exhibition area, SMRC displayed materials related to the work it has done on climate change in the last few years with a network of women with disabilities.

SMRC, who has been working on climate change for the past few decades presented its recent research work on climate change in coastal Odisha at the side event. The project – Adaptation, Research Alliance (ARA) in the Kendrapada district of Odisha was on displaced people due to coastal erosion related to climate change. This is where eleven villages of Satabhaya Panchyat were eroded by the sea. The National Centre for Coastal Research has stated that Odisha alone had lost 28% of its 485 km coastline. Coastal erosion is linked to anthropogenic activities such as backwater construction.

Women with disabilities were selected from the relocation colony at Bagapatia and few others from Gupti, also an area under the threat of coastal erosion. This was to understand the impact coastal erosion had on them and how they were coping with climate change. Observing that they had no access to livelihood and that climate adaptation funds did not reach them, a Woman with Disabilities Climate Change Network was created. This was with the support of the Women With Disabilities India Network which was originally founded in 2012.

To increase their awareness on coastal erosion due to climate change, the women met to develop an adaptation inventory to help them understand and access resilient livelihood availability. This difficult task was carried out by women with disabilities who had been displaced in this region which has been affected by one of the worst coastal disasters.

The Women With Disabilities Climate Change Network shared the inventory with the Government of Odisha and India to be included in its climate planning and adaptation.

The side event concluded with key messages from the panelists who represented Asia, Africa & Latin America on disability in climate action.

Globally over one billion persons with disabilities are disproportionately at risk from the negative effects of the climate crisis. Yet there is a notable absence of climate policy, programming and research at the intersection of disability and climate change. Advancing climate justice urgently requires accelerated disability – inclusive rights based climate research and action.