The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has issued General Comment No. 11 on the participation of persons with disabilities in political and public life (Advanced Unedited Version), adopted on 27 August 2026. The General Comment is intended to facilitate the realisation of Article 29 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, in line with the principles of international human rights law.
The General Comment directly addresses the ongoing challenges faced by persons with disabilities and their organisations against the backdrop of shrinking civic space and growing restrictions on civic engagement. The Committee notes that:
“legislative, administrative and financial barriers, including disproportionate registration, reporting and operational requirements, legislative frameworks relating to legal capacity under article 12 of the Convention, and inequitable and inadequate funding arrangements, may restrict the ability of persons with disabilities to establish, lead or participate in organisations of persons with disabilities on an equal basis with others and compromise their autonomy and representative capacity, thereby undermining the rights protected under article 29 (b) (ii).”
The Committee also emphasised that political and public participation is not confined to formal institutional settings but extends to peaceful assemblies, demonstrations, protests, public debate and other forms of civic action. It further extends to age-appropriate civic engagement by children and young persons with disabilities, through youth councils, children’s parliaments, their organisations and other age-appropriate participatory mechanisms, in accordance with Article 7(3) of the Convention. States parties must therefore ensure that laws, public spaces, policing and administrative practices, and information and communication do not exclude persons with disabilities, and that accessibility and reasonable accommodation are provided.
Among other issues, the Committee indicated that, despite financial constraints, States parties must also ensure adequate and sustainable access to resources for organisations of persons with disabilities. Funding mechanisms must therefore be accessible, transparent, equitable and proportionate, and must not disadvantage smaller grassroots organisations, self-advocacy or peer-led groups, or organisations representing otherwise underrepresented constituencies, on the basis of their size or administrative capacity.
Validity has been at the forefront of the fight for the right to political participation of persons with disabilities. For example, together with our Bulgarian partners, we represented Mr Genchev before the European Court of Human Rights, which found that Bulgaria had violated the right to vote of persons with disabilities. We also regularly submit contributions to UN Treaty Bodies, calling on them to advance the right to political participation of persons with intellectual and/or psychosocial disabilities.
Validity Foundation believes that this new General Comment No. 11 will significantly advance the realisation of the rights of persons with disabilities and their organisations in practice. We are pleased to have contributed to the call for submission alongside partner organisations. We urgently call on States parties to translate these principles into tangible legislative and policy reforms and to ensure the daily realisation of the rights of persons with disabilities through concrete, action-oriented measures.