COP26 Unaccessible Conference | Karine Elharrar unable to enter the conference complex due to accessibility issues
“COP26 Unaccessible Conference” a Public Awareness Campaign by Leo Burnett and Access Israel
Disability affects more than 1 billion people around the world. Yet, it is still often treated as a second thought when making mega-events accessible – the United Nations COP26 Climate Summit was no exception. Still, this time the ‘oversight’ sparked an international incident and a very timely campaign.
Karine Elharrar, Israel’s Energy Minister, suffers from muscular dystrophy and, as such, uses a wheelchair for mobility. But when she attended the Glasgow climate conference this week alongside Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, she found herself unable to enter the conference complex due to accessibility issues – and was left out.
Her wheelchair was not allowed into any of the entrances. While the Prime Minister’s staff tried to help her find a way in – including riding a shuttle, which was not wheelchair accessible either – she had no choice after two hours but to give up on attending the conference and make her way back to the hotel.
The problem was set straight the next day, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologized to the Minister for the “confusion with the arrangements”. But Access Israel saw an opportunity to amplify what the Minister had implied in her tweet following the incident (see below) and send a message on behalf of the millions of disabled ignored every day to the world and its leaders:
“Safeguarding our future starts with caring for people”.
Credits
Campaign: COP26 Unaccessible Conference
Category: Public Awareness Campaign
Agency Credits: Leo Burnett Israel
Chairman & CEO Publicis Israel: Yossi Lubaton
Client: Access Israel
Creative VP Leo Burnett Israel: Ami Alush
VP Innovation & Creative Technology: Oded Lavie
Creative Director: Oren Ben Naim
Copywriter: Achiya Darshan
Art Director: Yael Yaakov, Nitzan Amir
Marcom Director: Eva Hasson
Video Editor: Rotem Gabay
Agency Producer: Menny Zarhia
Traffic: Danielle Barzilay
