On January 19, the Euronews published an article, “Disability rights in Ukraine are a litmus test for democracy.” The piece was co-authored by Virginia Atkinson, Senior Global Inclusion Adviser at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), together with Yuliia Sachuk, Head of the Ukrainian Fight for Right NGO.

In the article, Atkinson and Sachuk reference the upcoming Ukraine Recovery Conference to be held in Berlin this June, which will provide an opportunity for leaders from the international community, international financial institutions, the private sector, and civil society, to mobilize support for inclusion of people with disabilities in Ukraine’s recovery and reform process.

In this light, the authors note that, “When Ukraine emerges from conflict, the country has the promise to rebuild itself as a model for a free, fair, and inclusive society. Ensuring that the rights of people with disabilities are respected will be a major test of how well it succeeds.”

They go on to emphasize that “For Ukraine to thrive as an inclusive democracy, international actors need to prioritize identifying solutions to these issues. Buildings should be rebuilt in an accessible manner, institutions should be abandoned in favor of strategies for people with disabilities to live independently in the community, new laws and policies developed as part of the EU ascension process should align with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and the elections held when martial law is lifted should be accessible to voters with disabilities.”

Read the full article here.