CEPO applauds Kiir’s inclusion of persons with disabilities in key electoral bodies

JUBA, NOV. 5, 2023 (SUDANS POST) – South Sudan’s Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), a prominent civil society watchdog, has commended the presidency’s decision to appoint persons with disabilities (PWDs) to the reconstituted transitional institutions.

On Saturday night, President Salva Kiir Mayardit issued a series of presidential decrees reconstituting the National Elections Commission (NEC), the National Constitutional Review Commission (NCRC), and the Political Parties Council (PPC).

In a notable move, President Kiir appointed five PWDs to these institutions, including three men and two women. Three PWD representatives were named to the NCRC, one to the NEC, and one to the PPC.

In a statement issued to Sudans Post, CEPO Executive Director Edmund Yakani lauded the president’s appointments of PWDs to these key institutions, characterizing them as a fulfillment of South Sudan’s obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).

“This is motivating and encouraging,” Yakani stated. “It demonstrates that our collective efforts to promote and protect the rights of PWDs are yielding concrete and tangible results.”

Yakani also announced CEPO’s partnership with Light for the World to launch a program aimed at enhancing the meaningful participation of PWDs in civic engagement and decision-making processes, particularly within the context of South Sudan’s ongoing political transition.

“These progressive outcomes will strengthen our advocacy for the rights of persons with disabilities,” Yakani asserted. “The inclusion of our colleagues from the PWD community will galvanize our collective efforts to further promote UNCRPD implementation in South Sudan.”

“CEPO, in collaboration with Light for the World, will initiate a program to enhance the meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in civic engagement and decision-making processes within South Sudan’s political transitional landscape,” Yakani emphasized.

“It is now evident that our collective efforts to promote and protect the rights of persons with disabilities within the context of the political transition have been successful,” Yakani concluded.