WEI Comments on Draft CEDAW General Recommendation on Gender-Related Dimensions of Disaster Risk Reduction in a Changing Climate

January 30, 2017

WEI and its partners appreciate the opportunity to provide comments on the Draft General Recommendation on gender-related dimensions of disaster risk reduction in a changing climate (Draft General Recommendation) of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW Committee).

According to the World Health Organization and the World Bank, women and girls with disabilities1 constitute 19.2% of women worldwide, making up a substantial portion of the population. Due to discrimination based on both their gender and disability, women with disabilities experience violations of their rights that are distinct from those experienced by other women and from men with disabilities. Natural disasters, including those caused by climate change, compound the effects of gender and disability discrimination, leading to further human rights violations against women with disabilities, including gender-based violence, denials of needed services, and barriers to accessing justice.

The comments below supplement WEI’s previous submission towards the half-day of general discussion on the gender-related dimensions of disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change. In particular, this submission briefly summarizes the issues that uniquely or disproportionately affect women with disabilities in natural disasters, including those caused by climate change and in planning for DRR. This submission then provides specific comments on the Draft General Recommendation about how to ensure further inclusion of women with disabilities and their concerns in this context.