COMMUNITY

Promoting Transparency, Independence, Gender and Geographical Balance and Diversity of Persons with Disabilities in the 2026 CRPD Elections

Between 9 and 11 June 2026, States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities will elect nine new members to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). On 31 March, together with the Geneva Human Rights Hub and the International Disability Alliance (IDA), GQUAL convened a public virtual dialogue, where 10 out of the 17 candidates who have been nominated by Member States accepted to participate. The event intended to enhance visibility, foster transparency and equality, and disseminate information about the electoral process, calling on States Parties to give due consideration the requirements set out by article 34(4) of the CRPD and in the Addis Ababa Guidelines on the independence and impartiality of members of the human rights treaty bodies.

 Currently, 10 out of 18 CRPD members are women, making it one of the UN Treaty Bodies with the highest level of gender balance within its membership. However, six of the current 10 women will conclude their mandates in 2026. For the nine seats now open, States have nominated 17 candidates: 9 men and 8 women. Sustaining gender balance on the Committee will require States Parties to elect at least five women.

In addition to gender balance, attention should be given to regional representation. Candidates from underrepresented regions, including Eastern Europe (which currently has no representation) and the Western European and Others Group (which has only one member), should be considered to ensure a more equitable and diverse composition of the Committee.

Electing members with the necessary expertise, independence, and diversity is vital to ensure the effective fulfillment of the Committee’s mandate. Ensuring gender and geographical balance and diversity of persons with disabilities, including especially persons with intellectual disabilities and persons with psychosocial disabilities are also crucial to the legitimacy, effectiveness, and inclusivity of the CRPD.

This requires knowing each candidate’s vision for the mandate, evaluating their competence, and assessing their commitment to fulfilling the mandate with a gender perspective. Civil society and victims who frequently engage with the CRPD should also have the opportunity to participate in this process, and spaces such as this public dialogue are key to advancing this goal.

Ten candidates were able to join the public dialogue, responding to questions submitted by civil society, which covered their qualifications, experience, and priorities. During the exchange, candidates shared their views on critical issues, including transparency and inclusiveness in nomination processes; independence and impartiality in the exercise of their functions; the role of Treaty Body members in the context of the UN system’s financial crisis and ongoing reform discussions; and the importance of gender balance representation, geographical diversity, and the meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in the Committee’s composition—particularly highlighting how these criteria strengthens the legitimacy, inclusiveness, and quality of the Committee’s work.

 

Their responses are now available on the Geneva Human Rights Hub website, offering an additional tool to promote transparency and inform States Parties and stakeholders ahead of the election.

We extend our gratitude to all candidates for participating and engaging in the dialogue and to our partner organizations who made this event possible.

Public dialogues like this one, and the active participation of civil society, are indispensable for promoting accountability, strengthening the legitimacy of the election process, and building human rights bodies that are representative, transparent, and effective. It is now the responsibility of States Parties to uphold these principles by electing members who meet the highest standards of expertise and independence and contribute to sustaining gender parity, equitable geographic representation and diversity of persons with disabilities within the CRPD.

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*This event is part of an initiative led by the Geneva Human Rights Hub and supported by GQUAL, aimed at promoting greater transparency around the UN Treaty Bodies’ election processes. In 2025 and 2024, similar events were organized around the elections to the CAT, CEDAW, CRPD, and the Human Rights Committee, together with partner organizations working on these issues.