RA ESCS Deputy Minister Zhanna Andreasyan participated in the roundtable discussion on “Issues of people with disabilities: before and after the law”, initiated by the NA Standing Committee on Labor and Social Affairs.

Within the framework of the cooperation between the NA Standing Committee on Labor and Social Affairs and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), a working platform was established to present legislative proposals on the improvement of the mechanisms for exercising the voting rights of people with disabilities.

“Exercising the voting rights of people with disabilities starts with social awareness, where education is the keystone. The education system can and should help ensure that the realization of this right is perceived as an obviously assumed reality in society. This process assumes that we should make the provision of inclusivity a phenomenon that will gradually be less spoken about. This should become our action rules,” noted the Deputy Minister in her welcoming speech.

Zhanna Andreasyan highlighted the importance of such events and discussions, which are aimed at raising the field's issues and outlining possible solutions.

“December 3 marks the International Day of People with Disabilities to once again draw public attention to their issues. The Law on the “Rights of People with Disabilities” establishes, among other issues, the obligation of the State to ensure the efficient and full engagement of people with disabilities in political and public life on an equal basis with others, directly or through freely elected representatives, including the right and opportunity to vote and be elected,” noted the Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Labor and Social Affairs Heriknaz Tigranyan and added that the objective of the working platform formed with IFES was to collect and submit legislative proposals on mechanisms for the unhindered exercise of the electoral right of people with disabilities.

The work, performed within the framework of the working platform, was presented at the discussion, which the representatives of both state and public organizations attended.