ODIHR launches new publication on political participation of persons with disabilities at awareness-raising event in Warsaw

Examples of positive practices to promote more inclusive parliaments, political parties and democratic institutions were the focus of an event for the release of a booklet produced by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) to address the under-representation of persons with disabilities in political and public life on 13 September in Warsaw.

Some 40 representatives of governments, civil society and disabled people’s organizations from OSCE participating States were on hand for the launch of the booklet, “Persons with Disabilities and Ensuring their Right to Participate in Political and Public Life", at the side event co-organized by ODIHR as part of the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting.

“Breaking the existing stereotypes and prejudices and acknowledging the potential of all members of society is crucial to establishing more representative democratic processes,” said Tiina Kukkamaa-Bah, Chief of the ODIHR Democratic Governance and Gender Unit.

The ODIHR booklet is intended  to raise awareness not only about current challenges to the participation of persons with disabilities, but also about existing OSCE and other international commitments in this area.

“Governments that open gates for the realization of the rights of all members of society can be considered to be fair and civilized,” said Dastan Bekeshev, a member of parliament in Kyrgyzstan. “By raising the issue of the political participation of persons with disabilities, ODIHR is making a significant contribution to building a fair system of governance in which every individual, including a person with a disability, can fulfil her or his dreams, can reach out to the government or be represented in it.”

“We can achieve gender- and disability-inclusive development and societies through promoting the political participation of women with disabilities and giving them an opportunity to be involved in decision-making processes,” said Karine Grigoryan from the Agate Center for Women with Special Needs, an Armenian NGO. “ODIHR’s strong commitment to achieving progress in this area will contribute to more inclusive elections and democratic societies.”

The side event was organized in co-operation with the Permanent Delegation of Finland to the OSCE and the OSCE’s Austrian Chairmanship. The booklet and the event are part of the ODIHR project “Our right to participate – Promoting the participation of persons with disabilities in political and public life.”