Biograph of Meelis
Meelis has been actively involved in the disability rights and chronic disease advocacy movement since around 2000. His work has focused on strengthening the national umbrella organisation, which currently represents 55 member organisations and continues to grow. He has also been instrumental in promoting cross-border cooperation and advancing advocacy efforts at both European and international levels.
He serves as a board member of the Estonian Agrenska Foundation, an Estonian-Swedish cross-border foundation dedicated to supporting families of children with disabilities. The foundation works to reduce the burden of care, provide peer support and counselling for people with rare diseases, and advocate for the full inclusion of people with disabilities in society.
Meelis has been a member of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), an advisory body to the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, and the European Commission. He has also played an active role in the implementation and monitoring of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), including contributing to the drafting of Estonia’s shadow report during the country’s state review process. The next review is scheduled for 2026, and his organisation will once again contribute to the reporting process.
Throughout his career, Meelis has led numerous cross-border cooperation projects, several of them in partnership with the European Disability Forum (EDF). He continues to be involved in the development and implementation of new international initiatives, with a number of projects currently underway and others in the application phase.