USAID and LUPD celebrate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities by calling for the 2023 municipal elections to be inclusive and accessible
Sharing a report on the successes and violations affecting voters with disabilities during the 2022 parliamentary elections
December 2, 2022 – Beirut, Lebanon – The Lebanese Union of Persons with Motor Disabilities (LUPD) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Lebanon Civil Action Acceleration Program (LEB-CAAP) today brought together key national and international stakeholders to reflect on the findings of the 2022 Parliamentary Election Monitoring Report. The conference was attended by USAID Mission Director in Lebanon Mary Ellen Devitt, President of the Lebanese Union of Persons with Motor Disabilities Silvana Lakkis, and more than 60 representatives from disability organizations, civil society, government institutions, academia, media, and international agencies. During the conference, participants discussed strategies to enhance the political participation of persons with disabilities in the 2023 municipal elections and beyond.
Ms. Silvana Lakkis, President of the Lebanese Federation of Persons with Motor Disabilities, stated during the ceremony: “We recognize the efforts made by the Lebanese government to comply with the legal and administrative provisions that facilitate access for persons with disabilities to their right to vote during the parliamentary elections, notably by moving polling stations to the ground floor in selected centers and signing the Code of Conduct for Persons with Disabilities and the Media. However, more efforts are needed. We recently met with the Minister of Interior and Municipalities and we are working with his team to establish the inter-ministerial committee responsible for ensuring the full participation of persons with disabilities in the 2023 municipal elections, including organizations of persons with disabilities in accordance with the law and as stipulated in Decree 2214/2009.”
On the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, USAID Mission Director Mary Ellen Devitt reaffirmed that “the U.S. government is committed to supporting people with disabilities in all of its assistance activities to bring about change. “USAID will continue to support democratic election processes in partnership with other donors through the UNDP Electoral Assistance Project and other advocacy initiatives to improve access to voting and broader rights for people with disabilities.
During the conference, LFMPD shared recommendations from the monitoring efforts spearheaded by the “My Right, My Vote” campaign, where mobile and stationary teams visited 124 of the 174 polling stations that the Ministry of Interior has pledged to make accessible to people with disabilities in 15 electoral districts in Lebanon. On Election Day, with support from USAID’s Lebanon Accelerated Civic Action Program (LEB-CAAP), LFDP deployed 116 trained observers, including people with disabilities, accompanied by 42 young researchers from B.O.T. (Bridge, Outsource, Transform), which has developed digital tools for real-time data collection. Observers conducted two questionnaires in 123 centers to measure the readiness of polling stations according to international standards, and identified the most common forms of violations against disabled voters. This was followed by interviews with 104 disabled voters to learn about their voting experience. In addition, the LFDP launched its action plan to advocate for accessible and inclusive 2023 municipal elections, which includes advocating for pre-inspection visits to schools that will be designated as polling stations, adopting inclusive architectural standards for ramp construction, repair and erection, and proposing inclusive designs for tents and booths.
The USAID-funded Lebanon Accelerating Civic Action Program (LEB-CAAP) facilitated two sessions to explore the challenges and opportunities for inclusion and accessibility in the upcoming municipal elections.
