Disabled Israeli Minister misses first day of COP26 due to lack of wheelchair accessibility

Boris Johnson has apologized to an Israeli government minister after she could not attend the summit on Monday due to a lack of wheelchair accessibility. Israeli energy minister Karine Elharrar told CNN that she has accepted Boris Johnson’s apology.

She wrote: “To Cop26 I came to meet with my counterparts around the world and promote a joint fight against the climate crisis. It is sad that the UN, which promotes accessibility for people with disabilities, in 2021, does not take care of accessibility at its events. I hope that the lessons required to be learned tomorrow to promote green energies, remove barriers and energy efficiency will be the things I deal with.”

The minister told Israel’s Channel 12 that she was given the option of walking on foot for several hundred yards or to board a shuttle which was not wheelchair accessible.

The Prime Minister met with Ms. Elharrar inside the Cop26 venue on Tuesday and apologized. Mr. Johnson said: “I gather there was some confusion with the arrangements yesterday. I’m very, very sorry about that.”