LUSAKA DECLARATION
BY DISABLED PEOPLES ORGANISATIONS (DPOs)
ON THE 2001 TRIPARTITE ELECTIONS

Adopted at the
ZAFOD POST ELECTIONS CONFERENCE
Held at Zambia National Association of the Deaf Complex
In Chinika Area, Lusaka
5th April 2002

We, the participants in the Zambia Federation of the Disabled (ZAFOD) Post Elections Conference, having participated in the just ended 2001 Tripartite Elections, wish to declare that while we were impressed with the high voter turn out generally experienced on polling day, as far as we persons with disabilities are concerned, the elections were not free and fair.

Noting that this Post Elections Conference is constituted of representatives from organisations of persons with disabilities as well as parents of disabled children, namely Zambia Federation of the Disabled (ZAFOD), Zambia National Association of the Physically Handicapped (ZNAPH), Zambia National Association of the Partially Sighted (ZNAPS), Zambia National Association of the Hearing Impaired (ZNAHI), Zambia National Association of the Deaf (ZNAD), Zambia National Association of Disabled Women (ZNADWO) and Zambia Association for Children and Adults with Learning Disabilities (ZACALD) who have gathered with the support of the International Foundation on Elections Systems (IFES) in collaboration with Action on Disability and Development (ADD) to deliberate on the electoral process and other key issues of concern to people with disabilities in Zambia;

Noting with concern our general findings in the Electoral Process based on our pre-election POLLING STATION SURVEY, VOTER EDUCATION activities and information from the OBSERVATION FORMS on Election Day from our monitors:

• That deaf persons were deprived of quite a wide variety of news pertaining to the elections especially with the national television broadcaster Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) as the station did not provide sign language interprets to cater for the needs of deaf persons thus depriving them of an opportunity to listen to whatever was being said so that they could vote for the right candidates having listened to their various manifestos. This was in direct contravention of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 21 (b), which states "Everyone has the right of equal access to public services in his country"

• That most public buildings used as polling stations were inaccessible to persons with disabilities due to high steps, narrow doors and corridors, as well as completely inaccessible and dirty toilets making mobility difficult or impossible especially for the blind persons and those with physical disabilities. For example, at Olympia Basic School, a physically disabled person was lifted into the classroom.

• That some polling stations were far away from the general community and with a bad road network;

• That some persons with disabilities (especially the deaf) were not aware of the voting procedures, as communication was a problem between them and the electoral officers. For example, at Gondar Primary School polling station in Chipata, a deaf person was shouted at for wanting to walk in the polling station with a Sign Language Interpreter, as he could not hear his name. At the same polling station, a blind person was not allowed to walk in with a guide and then received very little assistance from the polling agents.

• That voting by proxy was not allowed, as there is no such provision in the Electoral Act. This meant that persons with severe disabilities (including registered able bodied voters who might have been involved in a serious accident closer to elections) were disenfranchised and also further reduced the number of voters.

Conscious of the international standards on human rights, which have been laid down in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,

Underlining that those instruments proclaim that the rights recognised therein should be ensured equally to all individuals without discrimination,

Acknowledging that the period 1999 - 2009 was declared an African Decade of Disabled Persons at the 36th Assembly of Heads of State and Government, in Lome, Togo, July 2000 and that this Declaration is a blueprint towards improving the welfare of persons with disabilities in Africa and Zambia in particular;

Fully aware that we are now two years in the decade without any tangible measures in place of implementing the Decade;

Convinced that for this decade to be meaningful to disabled persons in Zambia, urgent and tangible actions need to be taken;

Also convinced that only the recognition of the inherent dignity of all people and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the fundamental basis of democracy, development, social justice, local and national peace and freedom

And asserting that;

• All human rights belong equally to all persons so that the rights of all children and adults with disabilities remain fundamental human rights which are inseparable from the rights and responsibilities of all persons;

• The primary responsibility for addressing the concerns noted above must rest with the governments of the world and that such responsibility includes not only the development of appropriate policy and legislation but their effective implementation through political commitment and the allocation of sufficient and dedicated resources for sustainable development of all people, including men and women, girls and boys with disabilities alike;

• Such a commitment must necessarily involve the recognition of the need to overcome exclusion and integrate disability issues into all mainstream planning and development processes across all areas of government responsibility by enabling persons with disabilities to represent themselves through their legitimate organisations in all processes;

Therefore call upon the government of the Republic of Zambia and other stakeholders in disability issues to publicly demonstrate their commitment to the meeting and realisation of the following demands from the participants of this Conference on behalf of all people with disabilities in Zambia;

1. Government should embark on a deliberate policy to ensure that persons with disabilities have access to the electoral process through provision of Sign Language Interprets for the deaf, Braille material for the blind and ramps to inaccessible public buildings for the benefit of physically disabled persons.

2. Disabled persons be included in all local and national decision making fora, such as parliament, central and local government, as well as all political parties and civil society based bodies;

3. Each stakeholder in disability issues and national development should allocate some percentage of their budgets to programs of and for persons with disabilities;

4. The date of elections be fixed and be during a dry season to enhance transparency, easy planning and accessibility of the electoral process.

5. On the part of ZAFOD and disabled persons, there is need to launch a systematic action oriented awareness campaign on the rights of persons with disabilities and their participation in the democratic process of the nation.

6. As part of all initiatives aimed at sustainable economic development in Zambia, a process towards the planning and launch of an African Decade of Disabled Persons in Zambia is begun with immediate effect. This must include the allocation of sufficient resources for the planning and development process. The priorities for such a decade should be focused around the following areas of concern;

a) The recognition and support of all organisations of persons with disabilities and parents of disabled children throughout the country and the strengthening of their voices, and in particular the voices of women and children with disabilities, in all processes and planning which involves them in any way

b) Strategies towards poverty alleviation and economic independence by ensuring equal access for all children with disabilities to education as well as the inclusion of persons with disabilities in mainstream social and economic activities and the development of programmes for sustainable job creation

c) The undertaking in consultation with organisations of people with disabilities and parents of disabled children of planning towards appropriate research in the area of disability. This may include, among other strategies, the asking of appropriate questions on disability in national surveys and the national census and the development of relevant statistical information;

d) The right of all people with disabilities to communication and access to information is recognised as a critical issue for immediate attention. Such a right is premised on the recognition that barriers to communication and those which prevent people from accessing basic information and services is fundamental to on-going exclusion and deprivation, particularly in the areas of education and employment, and denies individuals the right to choice and the ability for them to make informed decisions about their lives. In this regard the government is called upon to ensure that Sign Language as the first language of Deaf people is recognised in our constitution and relevant legislation as an official language with equal status to all other languages used in the country. Such entrenchment must include a commitment to the ongoing development of the language and the provision of interpreter services for Deaf and Deaf-blind persons within all public amenities. Attention must equally be given to the development of other means of communication such as Braille and alternative and augmentative communication mechanisms to ensure that no person is denied the right to communicate and access information.

7. Lastly to urge the government of Zambia to create a Ministry of Disability Affairs and Development to be headed by a person with a disability as a Minister. This Ministry shall be responsible for planning and coordinating programmes of and for persons with disabilities in Zambia. Also, the Ministry on Disability will have inter-ministerial relationships with other ministries e.g. on education, health, labour, housing, etc.

A similar Ministry is in place in Malawi and is doing very fine in addressing the needs of persons with disabilities.

We are strongly convinced that when these issues are taken into consideration, most problems currently being faced by persons with disabilities will be reduced and in some situations completely eradicated.

April 2002