Page 6 - Mainstreamer e-Magazine Volume 1, Issue 3 - August 2023

GROUND TO COVER
Participation of Vietnam’s Person with Disabilities in Politics:

Rights and Challenges

Nghiem
Dinh Dat

ince 2021, the United Nations Development understandable.
Programme (UNDP) has collaborated
Swith various organisations and agencies
to launch a campaign promoting the political “
engagement of persons with disabilities (PWDs). Therefore, the essential elements
This campaign started with different activities, to promote the right of political
including workshops and surveys. One of those
activities is conference talks to promote the engagement for PWDs are
participation of PWDs in politics held by the as follows: finding solutions;
UNDP in Vietnam and the Centre for Education strengthening the alignment of
Promotion and Empowerment of Women
(CEPEW). Most participants shared the importance Vietnam’s legal framework for
of having representatives from the disability PWDs; enhancing meaningful
community in the legislative body. If PWDs do not participation of PWDs in the
join in decision-making, there will be a political policymaking, implementation, and
gap between non-disabled and disabled people.
Unless the community promotes equality and monitoring processes; combatting
empowers PWDs on political platforms, PWDs will stigma and discrimination against
find it challenging to fully integrate into society, PWDs.”
said Diana Torres, UNDP Assistant Resident
Representative in Viet Nam. Most importantly, So why does the political engagement of
a law or policy made without truly having the PWDs need to be promoted? Besides the
voice of the disabled community may cause gaps reasons mentioned above, it also demonstrates
in the promise of law or policy and the actual the responsibility that Vietnam has committed
implementation. to the international community. Therefore,
So, what are the challenges faced by PWDs the essential elements to promote the right of
when joining political life? Take an outlook on the political engagement for PWDs are as follows:
world. The challenges can be legal obstacles; for finding solutions; strengthening the alignment of
example, restrictions remain on the right to vote Vietnam’s legal framework for PWDs; enhancing
for some PWDs. According to the assessment meaningful participation of PWDs in the
conducted by the UNDP Vietnam and the policymaking, implementation, and monitoring
Norwegian Embassy in Vietnam, Vietnamese PWDs processes; combatting stigma and discrimination
also face several challenges: feeling unconfident against PWDs. In other words, the genuine
in the possibility of success, lacking knowledge on participation of all citizens in political processes is
self-nomination and campaigning, and distrusting a cornerstone of democracy. Also, the participation
that the community will vote for PWDs. To this of PWDs in political life has been regulated strictly
day, the awareness towards the capacity of in various international documents.
PWDs in Vietnam is still limited. Therefore, being • How can we support PWDs to exercise their
afraid of getting no vote from the community is right to political engagement? We can give

5 Vol. 01, Issue 3 | August 2022