People with disabilities are an especially marginalised group when it comes to political participation, not only in so-called developing countries. The recent years have illustrated that broad participation in political processes is a fundamental prerequisite for sustained development.
Not only the 2030 Agenda with its guiding principle of “leaving no one behind” and the UN-Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, but most notably our Christian view of humanity oblige us to focus our attention on this topic in the work of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung abroad. We take this mission seriously: We want “civic education for all people!”
For us, this includes on the one hand ensuring that our events are accessible to all people, that our offices are barrier-free, and that special consideration is given to people with disabilities in the application process. On the other hand, in our work abroad, we join our local partners in addressing access to education for persons with disabilities in our countries of assignment.
On this issue, what are the circumstances in the various countries where our foundation maintains offices? To what degree do people with disabilities enjoy the same opportunities as compared to people without disabilities? What challenges are they confronted with, which hurdles must be overcome, and how can our foundation contribute to equal access to political participation for people with disabilities?
Read the entire anthology: ‘Country reports with a difference’ here as a PDF.
