The President of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Denis Kadima, recently opened the national workshop for the validation of the electoral glossary in Congolese sign language. Organized in partnership with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), this workshop aims to promote greater inclusion of people with disabilities in the country’s electoral process.
In his opening speech, President Denis Kadima highlighted the importance of inclusion in CENI’s priorities. He stressed that the CENI strives to make the electoral process accessible to all, including including Congolese sign language. Thanks to this workshop, the CENI wishes to adapt this language to the electoral vocabulary, in order to allow people living with a disability to understand and follow the electoral process and thus encourage their support.
The President also called on political leaders to take this category of people into account in their candidacy projects. He encouraged political parties to include people living with disabilities in their lists of candidates for the next elections to national deputies.
The objective of this five-day workshop is to validate the electoral glossary in Congolese sign language. The 2nd Vice-President of the CENI, Didi Manara, stressed the importance of this communication and awareness-raising tool, which will allow all the actors involved in the electoral process to speak the same electoral language.
The Minister Delegate in charge of People with Disabilities, Irène Esambo, welcomed the initiative of the CENI and welcomed the fact that the institution gives content to the concept of inclusion. She pleaded for the creation of an office dedicated to people living with disabilities within the CENI, in order to better take into account their needs in the electoral process.
As a technical partner of the CENI, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) is committed to working closely with the CENI to improve the credibility of the electoral process and foster greater inclusion of populations that have long been marginalized.
It should be noted that the need to include Congolese sign language in the electoral process dates back to 2006, but it was under the leadership of Denis Kadima that this project became a concrete reality.
This workshop brought together members of the CENI plenary assembly, as well as delegates from organizations of people living with disabilities from all the provinces of the DRC.
In conclusion, this workshop to validate the electoral glossary in Congolese sign language marks an important step towards greater inclusion of people living with disabilities in the electoral process in the Democratic Republic of Congo.. The CENI is thus committed to making the electoral process accessible to all, by adapting sign language to the electoral language.