Under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Mir'ed bin Ra'ad, President of the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Al Quds Center for Political Studies organized a national conference titled "Towards a Green Track to Encourage the Participation of Persons with Disabilities in Elections and Political Parties.

In his Royal Highness' remarks, given on his behalf by the Secretary of the Council, Dr. Mohannad Al Azzeh, he pointed out that persons with disabilities represent 11.2% of the Jordanian population aged over five. He outlined how these estimates show the importance of this category in elections and political parties, as they represent a large and influential part of society.

His Highness stressed the shared responsibility of paving the way for them to access their electoral rights, highlighting the necessity of unifying and organizing the efforts of persons with disabilities to strengthen human rights in general and their specific rights. HRH praised the efforts of the Independent Election Commission and its quick and effective response through training and qualifying the workers in the elections, as well as taking actions to learn how to deal with persons with disabilities to facilitate the electoral process for them. He pointed out that the Council and the IEC will work together on a longer-term strategy.

Furthermore, he highlighted the insufficient attentiveness to the quota in political parties, considering it an exceptional arrangement rather than an essential one. He called on political parties to have an inclusive view of all categories in the membership conditions. He further added, "We do not want the presence of persons with disabilities within political parties only to fulfill the quota conditions; we would rather want them to be present and effective on a broader level, and to have opinions and present solutions in every field.

On his part, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway to Jordan, Mr. Espen Lindbaeck, expressed his pride in representing his country and participating with Jordan in raising the levels of political participation for persons with disabilities. He outlined the shared efforts between the two countries in achieving peace, as well as their commitments to the rights of persons with disabilities.  

Lindbaeck stressed that these efforts highlight the Jordanian stance on human rights, looking forward to strengthening the relationship between the two countries, and praising the efforts of HRH Mir'ed Bin Ra'ad in building the capacity of persons with disabilities and facilitating their integration into society.

The member of the Board of Commissioners of the IEC, Ms. Abeer Dababneh, stressed the IEC's commitment since its creation to enhancing the participation of persons with disabilities in political life, particularly in elections, and guaranteeing their right to candidacy and voting.

She added that the participation of persons with disabilities in the elections is a very important matter in the path of political reform. She pointed out the several procedures taken by the IEC to prioritize the voters with disabilities in exercising their constitutional right, including: establishing model polling centers, using various techniques to facilitate the voting process (such as sign language), and conducting field visits to schools to assess their compliance with the required specifications for facilitating the voting process for persons with disabilities.

In his contribution, Mr. Oraib Al Rantawi, Director-General of Al Quds Center for Political Studies, emphasized the necessity of providing the needs of persons with disabilities to ensure their right to vote. He noted the growing official interest in this large group of people, with directives from His Majesty King Abdullah, as demonstrated in the outcomes of the Royal Committee to Modernize the Political System and in the new Political Parties and Elections Laws. He called on political parties to embrace persons with disabilities, as the path to parliament now goes through them. Al Rantawi emphasized the need to bridge the gap between speeches and actions on this matter, rather than limiting efforts to calls and promises.

The first session, moderated by Lara Yassin, Director of Legal Affairs at the Higher Council, discussed persons with disabilities and the 2024 elections. During the session, Nasser Al-Habashneh, Operations Director at the Independent Election Commission, spoke about the Commission's measures to ensure equal rights for persons with disabilities to participate in elections, both in voting and candidacy. Meanwhile, Zaid Al-Atari, the Higher Council's Political Participation Officer, presented a map of the needs that must be provided to ensure this right.

The second session, chaired by Al Rantawi during a roundtable discussion, addressed the current situation and future of political party participation for persons with disabilities. Al Quds Center presented a background paper on this issue, while representatives from political parties made several interventions and suggestions.

Agenda:

9:30 - 10:00 Reception and Registration: 

10:00 - 10:30 Opening Session: 

Remarks by Mr. Oraib Al Rantawi, Director-General of the Al Quds Center for Political Studies.

Remarks by H.E. Mr. Espen Lindbæck, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway to Jordan

Remarks by the representative of His Royal Highness Prince Mire'd bin Raad bin Zaid, Patron of the Conference, delivered by H.E. Dr. Mohannad Al-Azza, Secretary-General of the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Remarks by Ms. Abeer Dababneh, Member of the Board of Commissioners of the Independent Election Commission. 

10:30 - 12:00 First Session: Persons with Disabilities and the 2024 Elections

Moderator: Ms. Lara Yassin, Director of Legal Affairs at the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

The measures taken by the Independent Election Commission to ensure equal rights for people with disabilities to participate in elections, both in voting and candidacy

Speaker: Mr. Nasser Al Habashneh, Operations Director at the Independent Election Commission

A Mapping of the needs that must be provided to ensure this right.

Speaker: Zaid Atari, Political Participation Specialist at the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

General Discussion, recommendation and suggestions

12:30 - 2:30 Second Session: The Present and Future of Partisan Participation for Persons with Disabilities

Presentation of a background paper by Al Quds Center for Political Studies

Interventions from representatives of political parties about: 

Persons with disabilities in the programs and internal systems of political parties.

 Steps that political parties have taken to facilitate the participation of persons with disabilities within the party.

The obstacles preventing a broader engagement of persons with disabilities in political parties.

Any suggestions, recommendations or needs to encourage and facilitate the participation of people with disabilities in political parties.