We are pleased to announce that Ana Peláez Narváez, our Secretary General, was elected as the new Chairperson of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
The CEDAW Committee is the body of independent experts that monitors the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. Adopted by the United Nations in 1979, CEDAW is the most important human rights treaty for women and consists of 23 independent experts on women’s rights from around the world.
Ms Peláez, who already made history in 2018 by becoming the first woman expert with a disability on the Committee, renewed last year her mandate until 2026.
During her last mandate at the CEDAW Committee, she:
- Performed the role of rapporteur during the review of several countries’ reports;
- Contributed to the drafting of the General Recommendation on trafficking in women and girls in the context of global migration;
- Prepared the upcoming General Recommendation on the rights of indigenous women and girls.
This is a deserved acknowledgement of her hard work in visibilising the rights of women and girls with disabilities worldwide. The European Disability Forum would like to congratulate Ana Peláez and wishes her every success in this new stage.
About Ana Peláez
Ms Peláez has served as an expert on the CEDAW Committee since 2019 and was Vice-Chair of the Committee for 2021-2022. She is now Secretary General of the European Disability Forum and chair of its Women’s Committee. In addition, she is an Executive Vice-President at CERMI Women’s Foundation, the umbrella organisation for women with disabilities in Spain. She also has roles at the ONCE (Spanish National Organisation of the Blind) as High Commissioner for Solidarity and International Co-operation.