COP26 still has progress to make in terms of accessibility. The Minister ofe Israeli Energy, Karine Elharrar, who travels in a wheelchair, was (finally) able to participate on Tuesday, November 2 in climate conference events in Glasgow (Scotland, United Kingdom) … after being deprived of access the day before, due to his disability.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has “renewed [ses] apologies “ and said to himself “heurous “ that the minister was finally able to access the site of the climate conference, where she had arrived the day before in the company of the Israeli Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett.
“I want to thank you for your prompt intervention regarding this unfortunate incident”, said Naftali Bennett to his British counterpart, during a meeting attended by the Israeli minister. “I think this is an opportunity for all of us to understand the importance of accessibility for all”, he continued, according to a statement from his office.
On Monday, security officials did not leave the adapted vehicle from Karine Elharrar access the site despite efforts “during two hours” of the Israeli prime minister’s office to negotiate access, the minister’s spokeswoman told AFP. According to British media, Karine Elharrar was unable to access the site because the buses providing the shuttles were not equipped to accommodate wheelchairs.
“We can talk about accessibility and the rights of people with disabilities, but in reality we have to apply the conventions and the rules”, Karine Elharrar told the BBC. “It is sad to see that the United Nations, which promotes equal access for people with disabilities, is not in a position, in 2021, to ensure accessibility to this event”, she still wrote on Twitter.