Housing accessibility for PwD and mental wellbeing for sustainable and inclusive cities. What How

This session will bring together Al Waleed Philanthropies and UN-Habitat with a focus on both organization’s large experience, best practices and solutions to address the housing accessibility challenges of People with disabilities (PwD), quality of life and wellbeing in the Arab region and beyond. It will provide an opportunity for direct dialogue over PwDs multi-layered needs for support and inclusive cities. It will take the form of a dialogue between the speakers followed by a Q&A session to interact with the audience. Then, the representatives of both agencies will take the floor to sign an Agreement to implement a Housing project for PwDs in Tunisia. Finally, a press conference will take place. Everyone is susceptible to being physically restricted at some point of their lives. From childhood to old age, circumstances that limit people’s possibilities to move may arrive at any time: a pregnancy, a broken leg or walking with a pram, for example, are common situations of limited movement. Furthermore, low-income groups are often settled in scarcely urbanized areas, landfills, segregated spaces disconnected from adequate urban infrastructure or often in areas with high disaster risk such as mountain slopes. These areas normally present problems with drainage, lack of public lighting and signaling, unpaved and narrow paths, irregular surfaces and no sidewalks. Under these circumstances, housing is frequently built informally or inadequately, below any minimum building standards that do not create permanent housing conditions. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) makes a significant contribution to understanding the right to adequate housing for PwDs. The CRPD shows that additional considerations are needed so that PwDs enjoy that right on an equal basis with others. The CRPD does this by explaining the requirements that need to be in place for PwDs to exercise that right. Some of the requirements, such as support services and reasonable accommodation are introduced in the Convention to be understood as measures to facilitate exercising existing rights, not as the creation of new rights. While SDG 11 looks to ensure settlements are inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable, only two targets (regarding transportation and green/ public spaces) under that goal directly refer to persons with disabilities. PwDs must be understood as being part of every target within SDG 11. Otherwise, the term ‘inclusive city’ is hollow.