20  : :  DEMOCRATIZATION Prague, 12 November 2018. Young policy advisers from the Western Balkans region participate in a group discussion during the Young Policy Adviser Course organized by ODIHR. Youth Progress Index “ All elected bodies, at the national, regional and local levels, have to take the lead in making the practical changes needed to enable disabled people to participate fully in political life.” Ashley Graczyk, Member of the City of Edinburgh Council Promoting the participation of persons with disabilities in political and public life Persons with disabilities make up approximately 15 per cent of the world population. However, ensuring the inclusion and equal representation of persons with disabilities remains a significant challenge across the OSCE region. In 2018, ODIHR continued work to increase awareness among public officials, political parties, parliamentarians, disabled people’s organizations and civil society of the need to take concrete steps in improving the representation of persons with disabilities in decision-making processes. Through these activities, ODIHR reached 457 participants (274 women, 183 men). Enhancing youth participation As 38 per cent of the OSCE region’s population is below 30 years of age, ODIHR works in support of youth by implementing activities designed to help young people fully participate in public and political life. Key highlights from 2018 included hosting two sessions of ODIHR’s Young Policy Advisers Course; one focused on young leaders from Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus, while the other focused on the Western Balkans. The highly participatory curriculum of the course relies on mixed-method adult learning techniques, helping some 300 participants since 2014 increase their skills in addressing sensitive policy issues in their countries, as well as their knowledge of OSCE commitments in the field of democratic governance. Additionally, ODIHR joined with the European Youth Forum, Social Progress Imperative, International IDEA and Deloitte to create the Youth Progress Index (YPI), which is a unique tool developed to explore the status of youth, independent of economic indicators. Policymakers can use the YPI to design and invest in policies to improve young people’s lives, ultimately supporting the OSCE’s human dimension commitments related to young people.