Accessible and inclusive transport towards a just and sustainable transition
GIZ Philippines, through the TRANSCEND Project, recently participated in the Global Disability Summit, April 2-3 in Berlin, Germany. Organized every three years, this year's Summit was co-hosted by the Federal Republic of Germany together with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the International Disability Alliance (IDA).
Convening global, regional, and national stakeholders with the shared goal and vision for disability-inclusive development and humanitarian action, the summit aimed to bridge the gap between two often disconnected areas: disability inclusion and development cooperation.
In collaboration with the Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative (TUMI), TRANSCEND showcased its transport activities and accessibility & inclusion commitments in the exhibition booth entitled "Empathy in Motion: creating more inclusive cities and institutions." The team also conducted an interactive activity that engaged various persons with disabilities, learning from their firsthand experiences what inclusive transport means to them and which elements in a transport system support their independent mobility. KfW and RampMyCity also joined as co-exhibitors at the booth.
TUMI featured a Virtual Reality (VR) experience offering an immersive glimpse into the barriers encountered by people with different physical needs in three cities – Sao Paolo, London, and Nairobi – helping participants develop a deeper understanding of mobility challenges. Meanwhile, RampMyCity demonstrated the challenges encountered by wheelchair users and provided insights on designing barrier-free infrastructure.
Also attending with TRANSCEND as a civil society organization (CSO) partner was Dr. Maureen Mata, Accessibility and Inclusion Co-convenor of the Move As One Coalition. Dr. Mata presented the publication by TUMI and the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) entitled “Access for All Through Universal Accessibility," in which she served as a member of the Advisory Board during the report’s development.
Through its Transport component, TRANSCEND aims to integrate accessibility & inclusion into its initiatives as it kicks off its implementation in the landscapes throughout the Philippines, engaging stakeholders from government, academe, private sector, and CSOs, among others.