San Juan Declaration on the Political Rights of Persons with Disabilities

as adopted on 1 April 1998

Whereas:

Election officials from the Caribbean nations are committed to the premise that open and free societies depend upon transparent and fair election systems which are accessible to all citizens;

Whereas:

Election officials from the Caribbean nations are committed to working with all sectors of civil society to ensure equal access to transparent and fair elections;

Whereas:

Election officials from the Caribbean nations recognize that the vast majority of people with disabilities throughout the world are wrongly denied full access to many aspects of society, including access to exercise their electoral and political rights;

Whereas:

Election officials from the Caribbean nations acknowledge that physical and attitudinal barriers prevent people with disabilities from becoming full participants in the political process; and

Whereas:

Election officials from the Caribbean nations recognize that the United Nations Standard Rules on Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities call upon member states to ensure the political rights of citizens with disabilities;

Therefore, be it resolved:

That the Association of Caribbean Electoral Organizations affirms the need to make election systems and political processes fully accessible to all citizens of the Caribbean, particularly those with disabilities;

That the Association of Caribbean Electoral Organizations affirms the need of its members to work cooperatively with organizations of and for people with disabilities to remove the physical and attitudinal barriers which prevent people with disabilities from participating in the electoral process; and

That the Association of Caribbean Electoral Organizations affirms the need to work with organizations of and for people with disabilities to design and conduct registration, outreach, and education campaigns which result in the greater participation in election systems of all people with disabilities.