ADVOCACY MEETING WITH CPN Unified Socialist PARTY TO PROMOTE THE INCLUSIVE ELECTORAL CANDIDACY OF PWDS

On September 12, CIL-Kathmandu held an advocacy meeting with the general secretary of CPN Unified Socialist Party Mr. Beduram Bhusal, at the party office regarding the disability-inclusive electoral candidacy for the upcoming provincial and federal level elections.

As an important activity of the project to ensure disability-inclusive electoral candidacy, under the support of the Canadian Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI), the advocacy meeting attended by different disability activists and politically affiliated persons with disabilities, advocating for the access and representation of persons with disabilities in the policy/decision-making level. The president of CIL-Kathmandu Mr. Tek Bahadur Gurung also handed a position paper developed to summarize the standpoints and issues of disabilities with regards to the electoral access of persons with disabilities.

In response, the general secretary Mr. Bhushal expressed his gratefulness for the gentle reminder and said that the political party is sensitive enough, and the leaderships are aware enough to make the legislative body inclusive for all including the socially marginalized. He further added that the meeting has further provided support and pressure to properly ponder and implement the issues of inclusion both in the practice and official documents including the election manifesto. The team of delegates also requested the party authority to revisit and examine the chances of misrepresentation and underrepresentation of persons with disabilities and the further marginalized groups within.