“Inclusive approaches are essential to ensuring that persons with disabilities are not left behind in national and global development efforts,” said Ummy Nderiananga, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office responsible for Policy, Parliamentary Affairs, and Coordination.
She made the remarks during a panel discussion titled “Towards Inclusive Climate Action: From Berlin to Belèm and Beyond” at the International Conference on Persons with Disabilities held in Berlin, Germany, from April 2 to 3, 2025.
Nderiananga emphasized that although governments, development partners, and international organizations are striving to build inclusive societies, persons with disabilities still face many challenges that require coordinated, long-term solutions to ensure equal access to opportunities and resources.
She shared Tanzania’s experience in mainstreaming disability in climate change and disaster management efforts, highlighting government policies, laws, and strategies that aim to promote inclusion.
These include the integration of disability perspectives into disaster risk management systems, the development of climate change policies that enhance the resilience of persons with disabilities, inclusive disaster response plans with safe evacuation and relocation strategies, and the provision of psychosocial and social support during emergencies.
She encouraged other nations to draw lessons from Tanzania’s efforts by working closely with organizations representing persons with disabilities, designing inclusive policies, investing in accessible infrastructure, conducting impact assessments, and allocating dedicated funds for inclusive climate action.
“These actions are vital to ensuring that persons with disabilities are not excluded from disaster preparedness and climate resilience planning,” she said, inviting countries to visit Tanzania and learn from its inclusive development efforts.
She further noted that Tanzania has established a strong framework for including persons with disabilities in climate and disaster policies through comprehensive legislation and guidelines.
Nderiananga reaffirmed Tanzania’s commitment to working with COP and other partners to advance disability inclusion in climate initiatives, and said the country will continue to collaborate with the global community to push this agenda forward in the lead-up to COP30.