EN | Candidacy of the Republic of Lithuania to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) of the United Nations for the term 2027–2030

 “Diversity is a fundamental asset that enriches our lives and communities. We must embrace and value it, as it brings unique perspectives and opportunities for growth and understanding.”

Lawyer, International human rights advocate

Dovilė Juodkaitė
Candidate of the Republic of Lithuania to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) of the United Nations for the term 2027–2030

Commitment to the human rights of persons with disabilities
For the past 23 years, I have dedicated myself to advocating for human rights, working with and for the disability community. My journey has taken me through both non-governmental and public sectors, on national and international stages. Throughout this time, my focus has always been on promoting and protecting the rights of persons with disabilities.

 
With "Baltic Way" participants.

Main messages and working priorities as a candidate for UN CRPD
I am running for the UN CRPD because I truly believe in striving for social justice and the vision of an inclusive and diverse society that respects and cares for every individual as a human being. Empowering people with disabilities and promoting their self-representation is at the heart of my professional values. I believe that when persons with disabilities actively participate in shaping policies that affect their lives, it enhances their autonomy and strengthens our communities. By involving them in decision-making, we ensure their voices are heard and their needs addressed, promoting dignity, respect, and inclusion in our society.

Lithuanian disability delegation attending the 5th European Parliament of Persons with Disabilities, 2023.

I highly endorse Dovilė Juodkaitė as the devoted advocacy leader for the rights of persons with disabilities nationally and internationally, and I am convinced, by my former experience at the Committee, that her expertise and capacity is exactly what the Committee really needs! Prof. Jonas Ruškus, former (2015-2022) expert member and vice-chair of the UN CRPD Committee.

I have had the privilege of collaborating with Dovilė Juodkaitė for many years. Her unwavering dedication to advancing the human rights of persons with disabilities, both in Lithuania and internationally, is truly commendable. Dovilė's extensive experience and profound commitment make her an outstanding candidate for the UN CRPD elections in 2026. I wholeheartedly support her candidacy and am confident that her contributions will significantly enhance the promotion and protection of disability rights globally. Gunta Anča, Vice-President of the European Disability Forum and Chair of OPD SUSTENTO, Latvia

 
Practical work with disability NGOs
I have had the privilege of working with three prominent disability NGOs: the Lithuanian Association for People with Intellectual Disabilities "Viltis," the Organisation Mental Health Perspectives, and the Lithuanian Disability Forum. Through these roles, I have actively promoted disability human rights by contributing to the ratification, implementation, and monitoring of international instruments in Lithuania, such as the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), OPCAT, and other international human rights instruments. My efforts have extended beyond Lithuania to include the Baltics, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Sakartvelo, and more. Since 2013, I have served as the President of the Lithuanian Disability Forum, a leading disability umbrella organization in Lithuania. In this capacity, I have been a strong advocate for the rights of persons with disabilities, working to develop and reform national legislation to align with international human rights standards.

Vilnius protest march "For the city for all" in 2018.

Leadership and Advocacy Roles
Since 2017, and re-elected in 2022, I have served as a Board Member of the European Disability Forum (EDF). In this role, I actively contribute to EDF's work at both European and international levels, participating in events as a speaker and representative.
From July 2019 to November 2021, I was a member of the Commission for Monitoring the Rights of Persons with Disabilities under the Office of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson. My responsibilities included overseeing the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Lithuania.
In 2022, I was certified as an expert within the Expert Roster of the UN Justice Rapid Response program. In 2023, I was elected on behalf of Lithuania as a member of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) for the term 2023-2027. The CPT visits places of detention, such as prisons, juvenile detention centers, police stations, holding centers for immigration detainees, psychiatric hospitals, and social care homes, to monitor human rights and assess the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty in European Council countries.
On behalf of the Lithuanian Disability Forum, I was elected for the term 2020-2025 as a member of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), joining the group of Civil Society Organisations As an EESC member, I am actively involved in the Permanent Group on Disability Rights, the Group on Fundamental Rights and Rule of Law, and various study groups and events. My focus is on disability mainstreaming, inclusion of persons with disabilities in society, securing their equal rights, promoting accessible elections and empowering persons with disabilities to take active stand in society.

Lithuanian disability forum team with Ukrainian colleague.

Professional background
•    1998: Graduated from the Law Faculty of Vilnius University, Lithuania.
•    2001-2002: Scholar at Columbia University School of Law, focusing on human rights for people with mental disabilities through the Public Interest Law Initiative program.
•    2004-2005: Participated in the Open Society Institute Centre for Policy Studies' International Policy Fellowship program, under the Public Health, Mental Disability Advocacy Program (MDAP).
•    2010-2011: Completed an International Diploma in Mental Health Law and Human Rights, organized by the Indian Law Society in collaboration with the World Health Organization.

Working languages
Lithuanian, English, Russian, French

My priorities:
Empowering Mothers with Disabilities: I am committed to advocating for the rights of women with disabilities to experience dignified motherhood. This means ensuring they have equal access to reproductive health care and the necessary support to raise their children. 
Ensuring Safety and Rights in Emergencies: I will work to protect the safety and equal rights of persons with disabilities during emergencies. My focus will be on inclusive disaster planning and humanitarian efforts to ensure no one is left behind. 
Promoting Access to Justice: I will promote the equal participation of people with disabilities in the criminal justice system. This includes ensuring their involvement from prosecution to enforcement of dignity-based sentencing in closed-type institutions.

Projects, training and educational contributions
Over the past 23 years, I have been involved in various international and national projects focused on human rights and disability, nondiscrimination, mental health care, policy and law, legal capacity, and social inclusion of persons with disabilities. Since the ratification of the UNCRPD in Lithuania in 2010, I have contributed to numerous international desk researches, studies, and reports on its implementation. I provide training courses for judges, legal practitioners, and social workers, as well as disability community, focusing on the rights of persons with disabilities (PwD) according to the UNCRPD. Additionally, I give lectures and offer consultancy services on this topic. Since 2014, I have been a faculty member at the International Diploma on Mental Health Law and Human Rights, organized by the Indian Law Society in collaboration with the World Health Organization. This program hosts up to 15 participants from around the world each year. Since its inception in 2008, the diploma has completed 14 batches with 153 students from 63 countries. My contributions include selecting participants, providing lectures, and supervising students on their projects.

Capacity building training for disability community in Angola.

Since joining the International Diploma in Mental Health, Human Rights and Law at the Indian Law Society, Pune in 2014 Dovile has played an important role in reinforcing the role of human rights based mental health care system to mental health specialists from across the world who attend the Diploma, by challenging existing perceptions and thus contributing to changing mental health practice all over the world.
Soumitra Pathare, Director of Centre for Mental Health Law & Policy, Indian Law Society

From 2016 to 2021, I served as a faculty member for the International Master on Mental Health Policy and Service Organization at the Lisbon Institute of Global Mental Health. My teaching focused on mental health and human rights, disability rights, and the CRPD. In 2017, after completing special qualification training with the World Health Organization, I was selected as an expert on the National WHO QualityRights Assessment Team. This team monitors human rights in social and medical closed-type institutions (such as social care homes and psychiatric hospitals) in Lithuania. I also became a trainer on the WHO QualityRights monitoring instrument, providing relevant training for mental health specialists in Ukraine, Sakartvelo, and Kenya.

WHO QualityRights face to face training in Kenya.

I wholeheartedly support the nomination of Dovilė Juodkaitė as Lithuania’s candidate for the UN CRPD Committee elections in 2026. Having known her for many years through various mental health and human rights platforms, I have witnessed her unwavering dedication to defending the rights of all persons with disabilities, particularly those with psychosocial disabilities who often face profound stigma, discrimination, and denial of their basic rights. As a person with lived experience myself and CEO of the Global Mental Health Peer Network, an international lived experience organisation, I have full confidence in her expertise, integrity, and relentless advocacy to drive meaningful change and uphold our human rights at the highest level.
Charlene Sunkel, CEO of the Global Mental Health Peer Network, South Africa