Consultation Meeting on Position Paper Development and Finalization

On August 31, CIL-Kathmandu organized a consultation meeting on the development and finalization of a position paper to be submitted to major political parties, comprising the demands and issues of persons with disabilities with regard to their inclusion, access, and electoral candidacy in the upcoming election, supported by the Canadian fund for local initiatives-CFLI.  Distinguished delegates from different organizations and political unions participated and contributed to the discussion.

In the meeting, Maheshwar Ghimire suggested making specific points and not mixing up the subjects. Ram Prasad Dhungana presented views on two different parts as a representation of PWDs and manifesto while developing the position paper. Devi kumari Parajuli and Suresh Chandra Neupane added to the importance of sooner dissemination of the position paper. Raju Basnet- General Secretary of NFDN, focused on including the political right of PWDs in the acts and regulations. He further added different sister organizations of political parties to initiate the inclusion of disability issues. Also suggested improvising and updating the data and shortening the demands in the position paper as per the time and situation. Also, mention the sections and sub-sections relating to the disability in the position paper. Kiran Shilpakar- President of NAPD highlighted to mention the importance of  PWDs in political representation. Sudershan Subedi – Former president of NFDN suggested reframing the position paper for better clarity. And Rama Dhakal- vice president of NFDN added political parties to mandatorily include the issues of all types of disabilities in their manifestos. 

Finally, Tek Bahadur Gurung-President of CIL-Kathmandu added that suggestions and recommendations raised during the discussion will be incorporated while finalizing the position paper as well as advocacy documents which will be submitted to the political parties and related agencies.