One of the main sessions at the Global Disability Summit (GDS) 2025 spotlighted the urgent need for greater participation and representation in public life and decision-making for persons with disabilities. This session brought together representatives from the Republic of Korea, Germany, Spain, Nepal, France and Malawi, and underscored that political engagement is not just a right but a vital step toward empowerment, accountability, equality, and inclusion.
Despite the legal foundation offered by the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), Articles 4(3), 29, and 33, many persons with disabilities continue to face systemic barriers to participation. Inaccessible environments, limited access to information, and discriminatory legal frameworks remain considerable hurdles. For marginalised groups within the disability community, such as indigenous persons or those facing intersectional discrimination, the obstacles are even greater, as they are confronted with a lack of recognition of their legal capacity, directly impeding on their right to vote or run for office.
This event offered a platform for civil society leaders and state officials to discuss the multifaceted approach necessary to respond to these challenges, including the need to recognise that political engagement is an integral part of the larger civic social engagement of persons with disabilities and cannot happen in isolation.
The session brought together global leaders and grassroots advocates to discuss innovative solutions and the political will required to realise inclusive governance.
Pratima Gurung, IDA representative and member of the National Indigenous Women Association in Nepal and of the Indigenous Persons with Disabilities Global Network, underscored the importance of participation as a key principle of human rights that permeates all aspects of private and public life in a context in which indigenous persons with disabilities continue to be one of the most marginalised groups in the world. She delivered a compelling call for action, emphasising that participation “is not about our individual rights, it is also about collective self-determination. We need to create innovative solutions and our own spaces to be able to participate and express our voices.”
She also drew attention to the Call to Action, developed by OPDs representing Indigenous persons with disabilities, with support from the International Disability Alliance (IDA), urging governments and stakeholders to commit to strengthening participation frameworks for indigenous persons with disabilities globally.
This discussion also included perspectives from leaders from across the world, including:
- Oh Joon, Professor of United Nations Studies and former Ambassador of the Republic of Korea
- Kerstin Griese, Parliamentary State Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Germany
- Natalia Sofía Guala Beathyate, Deputy Director of International Relations, Organización Nacional de Ciegos Españoles
- Hilda Macheso, Association of Persons with Albinism
- Sebastien Peytavie, Member of the French National Assembly
Their interventions addressed legal reform, inclusive policy-making, and the need for sustainable support to Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) as agents of change.
The session made it clear that inclusive political participation must be systemic, not symbolic. That means removing legal, structural, and social barriers, and ensuring that OPDs have the resources and recognition needed to represent their communities meaningfully.
