Every development agenda as well as project thrives on inclusiveness. The ability to bring all persons to the table for decision making as well as project implementation and utilization is key to sustainable development at all levels. The SDGs is dub "Leaving no one behind" and that is why almost each and every goal has an element that has to do with Persons With Disability (PWD).
Joint Party Support and Strengthening (J-PASS) project is one of UNDP Ghana initiatives which is implemented under the Governance Cluster. This cluster is one of the areas of work of UNDP Ghana which is committed to ensuring good governance with emphasis on peacebuilding, conflict resolution, transparency, accountability, justice, equality and participation.
Joint Party Support and Strengthening (J-PASS) project is one of UNDP Ghana initiatives which is implemented under the Governance Cluster. This cluster is one of the areas of work of UNDP Ghana which is committed to ensuring good governance with emphasis on peacebuilding, conflict resolution, transparency, accountability, justice, equality and participation.
Prior to the December 2016 General Elections in Ghana, UNDP Ghana initiated the J-PASS program, that was September 2015, with the overall aim of building the capacity of political parties to function effectively as institutions of governance. Five major political parties took part in this process; Convention People's Party (CPP), New Patriotic Party (NPP), National Democratic Congress (NDC), People's National Convention (PNC) and Progressive People's Party (PPP).
On 10th July, 2017, the 2016 Annual Report of J-PASS project was published on UNDP Ghana website.
J-PASS has three strategic focal areas:
It is quite clear that issues of PWDs would have fallen under the second strategic objective but it is very shocking to note that the definition of 'inclusiveness' guided by the J-PASS program as well as all the issues featured in the report has nothing to do with PWDs. The main achievements under this strategic objective are; development of parties' Gender Policy and strategy, Gender training to party executives, Ntikahodie Gender Policy Dialogue and More Women in Parliament Campaign. All these were done to fantastically support full women inclusion and participation in politics and all electoral processes. This had an impact as the number of women elected to the 7th Parliament of the 4th Republic of Ghana increased from 29 to 37 representing 12.75%.
Despite these efforts to support women participation in politics which is very important, leaving PWDs in the process doesn't make the efforts and the achievements complete. Per the report, nothing was done to support and/or encourage PWDs to fully participate in all electoral processes. So one may ask, if support was given to political parties to develop parties' gender policy and strategies, what about PWD policy and strategies?
Even though the Head of Gender and Disability at the Electoral Commission, Ms Abigail Nutakor, has said prior to December 2016 that persons with Disability would be successfully incorporated in all phases of the electoral process, it was never the case when dealing with UNDP Ghana to implement the J-PASS project. Henostly, PWDs participation in electoral processes must be seen beyond just exercising their franchise.
Again, at the end of the whole program, according to the report, no political party including the Convention People's Party (CPP) which had PWD as its flagbearer pointed out the need to comprehensively include PWDs in such an important program.
Author Clifford
J-PASS has three strategic focal areas:
- Internal Democracy,
- Gender Equality & Inclusiveness and
- Electoral Credibility & Transparency.
It is quite clear that issues of PWDs would have fallen under the second strategic objective but it is very shocking to note that the definition of 'inclusiveness' guided by the J-PASS program as well as all the issues featured in the report has nothing to do with PWDs. The main achievements under this strategic objective are; development of parties' Gender Policy and strategy, Gender training to party executives, Ntikahodie Gender Policy Dialogue and More Women in Parliament Campaign. All these were done to fantastically support full women inclusion and participation in politics and all electoral processes. This had an impact as the number of women elected to the 7th Parliament of the 4th Republic of Ghana increased from 29 to 37 representing 12.75%.
Despite these efforts to support women participation in politics which is very important, leaving PWDs in the process doesn't make the efforts and the achievements complete. Per the report, nothing was done to support and/or encourage PWDs to fully participate in all electoral processes. So one may ask, if support was given to political parties to develop parties' gender policy and strategies, what about PWD policy and strategies?
Even though the Head of Gender and Disability at the Electoral Commission, Ms Abigail Nutakor, has said prior to December 2016 that persons with Disability would be successfully incorporated in all phases of the electoral process, it was never the case when dealing with UNDP Ghana to implement the J-PASS project. Henostly, PWDs participation in electoral processes must be seen beyond just exercising their franchise.
Again, at the end of the whole program, according to the report, no political party including the Convention People's Party (CPP) which had PWD as its flagbearer pointed out the need to comprehensively include PWDs in such an important program.
Without quoting any article or section in the Disability Act and the UN Convention on Disability, one could clearly decipher how exclusive the J-PASS project implementation has been.
It was very clear in the report that, J-PASS is jointly owned, managed, and implemented by UNDP-Ghana, the
Electoral Commission of Ghana and the five selected political parties. Hence, all stakeholders must try and redefine 'inclusiveness' to include PWDs. This is very important because if PWDs have the right to vote, then their right to be voted for and/or appointed to a position in government must also be highlighted. And again, the theme of the SDGs is leaving no one behind! By including persons with disabilities, individuals, institutions and society win.
Author Clifford
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