Catalina Devandas Aguilar
Catalina Devandas Aguilar
Catalina Devandas Aguilar is a Costa Rican lawyer who served as the first United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities from 2014 until 2020. In May 2024, she was appointed Senior Director for the Office of Partnerships, Advocacy and Communications with the International Organization for Migration. Previously, she served as Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to t
"We cannot continue to deal with a GA hall that is not accessible for wheelchair users. We cannot continue to not be able to enter bathrooms. There is a lot to do and we are not happy about that, but what I am optimistic about is we now have a framework of action,"
Catalina Devandas Aguilar"It requires this organization to be held accountable on how they are doing with persons with disabilities, but also it is important that it will provide the support at national levels,"
Catalina Devandas Aguilar"UNICEF, UNDP, and all the agencies working at country level will have to support programmatically the implementation of the convention and that is a fundamental change and is something that is strongly needed."
Catalina Devandas Aguilar"Just the fact that a woman with a disability from Costa Rica is seen on national television in the DPRK running around on a scooter and being very modern and talking brings a different perspective and even hope to persons with disabilities in a country that has been in such isolation,”"
Catalina Devandas Aguilar
