BANDUNG MESSAGES 2025 

TOWARD 2030: CLIMATE JUSTICE FOR THE MOST VULNERABLE

As 2030 approaches, many Paris Agreement commitments remain unmet, deepening risks for 1.3 billion persons with disabilities (PWDs) and more than 800 million older persons, the majority living in the Global South. In Indonesia alone, over 22 million PWDs and 30 million older persons confront rising climate threats with limited protection.

Across Asia and Africa, vulnerable communities face low access to assistive technology, social insurance, healthcare, resilient housing, and adaptive infrastructure. These challenges are especially acute in coastal cities and urban centers where PWDs and older persons are highly concentrated and disproportionately exposed to climate hazards.

The recent West Sumatra disaster, alongside escalating floods, landslides, and extreme weather worldwide, reveals the widening gap between global climate commitments and the reality on the ground. While COP 30 in Belém provides new direction, it must be translated into inclusive, accountable, and adequately funded action.

WE CALL FOR:

1. Inclusive and Affirmative Climate Governance. All climate-related bodies, including national climate task forces, disaster risk authorities, and government-created climate finance institutions, must mandate affirmative representation of PWDs and older persons. Representation must carry decision-making power, ensuring that their interests are reflected in policy, implementation, and financing. This includes participation in ESG committees, with authority to uphold GEDSI (Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion) compliance.

2. Investment in Authentic and Accessible Disability Data. Governments must invest in accurate, disaggregated disability data, applying Washington Group disability statistics for global comparability. All climate information systems, early warning tools, and public digital services must comply with WCAG to guarantee accessibility and participation PWDs.

3. Targeted Interventions in High-Risk Cities. Climate adaptation and disaster preparedness must prioritize coastal cities and urban centers where PWDs and older persons are concentrated. Investments should include universal design, accessible evacuation routes, resilient housing, public transportation, and strengthened health and social protection systems.

4. Climate Finance That Reaches Frontline Communities. All climate finance, including Loss and Damage and national climate funds, must require representation of PWDs and older persons on decision-making boards. Financing must be accessible, transparent, and designed to reach households and community systems facing the greatest risks.

5. Transparent and Measurable Accountability. Governments, donors, and global institutions must adopt clear targets for financing vulnerable groups. At minimum, we call for:

 • A dedicated percentage of national and international climate finance to be allocated directly to PWDs, older persons, and vulnerable communities, with publicly reported progress.

 • National and local reporting systems that evaluate how climate investments reduce risks for vulnerable groups.

6. Creating an Inclusive and Democratic Financing Ecosystem for Local Climate Action. In response to the global funding crisis and the growing trend of donor fatigue that threatens the sustainability of climate initiatives, we call for a fundamental transformation of the funding ecosystem. Dependence on declining traditional sources must be addressed by building greater self-reliance, decentralization, and a strong commitment to strengthening local capacities.

A Call from Bandung to the World!

On the 71st anniversary of the Asia, Africa Conference, we reaffirm:

NO ONE LEFT BEHIND and NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US.

The Bandung Spirit must now become Bandung Action, ensuring dignity, justice, and resilience for all vulnerable communities.

Bandung, 12 December 2025