Muna Shakya (center) and Meena Paudel (with microphone) at COP30

Representing Nepali organisations of women with disabilities, Muna Shakya and Meena Paudel participated in the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP30 in November 2025. They presented the SDDC report regarding the effects of climate change on women with disabilities at a side event on inclusive climate solutions.

Muna Shakya (National Indigenous Disabled Women Association, NIDWAN) and Meena Paudel (Nepal Disabled Women Association, NDWA) focused on the most important findings of the study, reported on their experience and presented recommendations on what national governments, local authorities and civil society actors have to do to make climate policies inclusive. Furthermore, Meena and Muna exchanged views with members of organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) from around the world to build stronger alliances and drive global action for inclusive climate solutions.

Climate change deepens discrimination experienced by women with disabilities

Muna Shakya was herself a participant in the qualitative study and she stated the clearly negative impact that climate change has on her life. Focusing on the experience of indigenous youth with disabilities, she stated:

“We face (…) food, water scarcity, hunger, poverty in our daily lives due to the climate crisis.”

Meena Paudel is the chairperson and co-founder of NDWA. She had advised the SDDC in drafting the report based on the research findings. Furthermore, along with a number of other OPD representatives, she was instrumental in formulating the recommendations that conclude said report. She reflected on the impact that harnessing the strengths of persons with disabilities can have.

“Women with disabilities are not just victims of climate change – we are agents of transformation. Our experiences, creativity and leadership must shape Nepal’s climate future.”

Video testimonials and report show impact of climate change and women’s resilience

Watch the testimonials of the out more about the experience of women with disabilities in Nepal. Read the complete report entitled “Climate inclusion through our lens” to find out in detail how climate change affects women with disabilities in Nepal and the adaptive solutions they find to deal with it. Learn how OPDs propose to overcome intersectional discrimination, strengthen climate resilience, and promote meaningful participation and knowledge generation.