DAKAR CALL FOR INCLUSIVE ELECTORAL SYSTEMS FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IN AFRICA

• CAMAB-Admin

19 mai 2026

DAKAR CALL FOR INCLUSIVE ELECTORAL SYSTEMS FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IN AFRICA
Conference on the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Electoral Processes in the Digital Age
Dakar, Senegal | May 2026
We, Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), disability rights advocates, and participants gathered at the Conference on the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Electoral Processes in the Digital Age in Dakar, Senegal, reaffirm our collective commitment to inclusive, accessible, and human rights-based democratic systems across Africa.
We recognize the significant efforts undertaken by States, Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs), regional institutions, development partners, civil society organizations, and international agencies to promote the inclusion of persons with disabilities in electoral and political processes. The conference highlighted several promising practices across the continent, including accessible electoral information, inclusive civic education, accessible digital tools, increased participation of OPDs in electoral processes, and improved accessibility within electoral administration.
However, despite these significant advances, persons with disabilities continue to face widespread and systemic exclusion from political and electoral participation across Africa.
We reaffirm that the full and effective political participation of persons with disabilities is a fundamental human right, recognized by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), notably its Article 29, as well as by the African Protocol on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
We conclude by reaffirming that:
An inclusive democracy cannot exist as long as persons with disabilities continue to be excluded from political participation on an equal basis with others.
The present moment demands a clear transition from formal commitments to truly accessible, inclusive, accountable, and human rights-based electoral systems across Africa.