Good Practice The umbrella DPO in Zimbabwe distributed copies of the CRPD to all local-level EMB officials as part of an initiative to educate employees on the rights of persons with disabilities. Section 1 them. The existence of this internationally-recognized document provides an opportunity for DPOs to advocate for States to sign, ratify and fully implement provisions laid out in the convention. Monitoring CRPD implementation can also lead to a broader conversation between decision-makers on the barriers to participation faced by persons with disabilities in each country and the development of more inclusive public policies. The CRPD can also open space for the political inclusion of persons with disabilities during elections. In addition to provisions ensuring the right to participate, citizens can use standards laid out in the treaty as an entry point for substantive engagement and a basis for advocacy around specific issues of concern. In this way, the CRPD creates an environment conducive to political discussions about disability issues that might not have taken place otherwise. It allows citizens to frame discussions in terms of accepted international standards and requirements under treaty obligations and brings an additional level of specificity to discussions. The treaty provides a starting point for substantive rather than superficial interaction. Other international treaties – such as Article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights19 (ICCPR) and Article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights20 – also protect the right of persons with disabilities to vote and be elected. However, General Comment 25(4) to the ICCPR allows States to deny the right to vote or hold office based on “mental incapacity.”21 The ICCPR opened for signature in 1966. Modern trends in international law such as the CRPD and relevant jurisprudence, such as the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) case – Kiss v. Hungary, are evidence that rights have evolved, and modern norms are trending counter to the General Comment. In its Kiss v. Hungary ruling, the ECHR referred to case law that said “The right to vote is not a privilege. In the twenty-first century, the presumption in a democratic State must be in favor of inclusion…Universal suffrage has A Mexican DPO presents to the National Council for Inclusion and Development of Person’s with Disability in advance of the 2012 elections. become the basic principle.”22 19 “International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.” United Nations. <http://www.ohchr.org/en/ professionalinterest/pages/ccpr.aspx>. 20 “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” United Nations. <http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/>. 21 United Nations. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. General Comment No. 25: The right to participate in public affairs, voting rights and the right of equal access to public service (Art. 25). 1996. <http:// www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/(Symbol)/d0b7f023e8d6d9898025651e004bc0eb?Opendocument>. 22 Alajos Kiss v. Hungary. European Court of Human Rights. May 20, 2010. Case of Alajos Kiss v. Hungary. European Equal Access: How to Include Persons with Disabilities in Elections and Political Processes 31