The Government of Ghana has officially nominated distinguished disability rights leader and policy expert Mawunyo Kuma Yakor-Dagbah for election to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The nomination, made in strategic consultation with the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD), seeks to build on Ghana’s formidable legacy of global leadership in disability rights.
Madam Mawunyo is vying for a seat on the 18-member body of independent experts that monitors the global implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Her candidacy follows the illustrious tenure of Ghana’s Gertrude Oforiwa Fefoame, who made history as the first African woman to chair the Committee.
With Mrs. Fefoame’s term concluding this December, Ghana is moving to ensure its influential voice at the UN remains uninterrupted.
Historically, it is extremely rare for a country to exit the Committee and return immediately the following year.
Thailand and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) are the only nations to have successfully executed this “seamless transition” in recent years.
By nominating Madam Mawunyo immediately, Ghana is looking to join this elite group of nations, solidifying its status as a global powerhouse in disability governance.
The election, scheduled for 9th June at the United Nations Office in Geneva, is highly competitive. Madam Mawunyo is currently one of 17 candidates from across the globe contesting for just nine available slots.
Each of the 191 state parties to the Convention holds nine votes, and the Ghanaian candidate must now engage in intensive lobbying with Heads of Mission and Election Officers to secure the necessary support.
If elected, Madam Mawunyo will make global history as the first person with albinism to serve on the Committee since its establishment.
As a person with albinism, she brings a critical and underrepresented perspective to a body that prides itself on diversity and lived experience.
Her professional background provides a unique value proposition for the UN. As an Assistant Director of Audit at the Ghana Audit Service, she combines the passion of an advocate with the technical discipline of a governance professional.
She is widely respected for her work as the first female National President of the GFD and her current roles as First Vice President of the West Africa Federation of the Disabled (WAFOD) and Board Member of the Africa Albinism Network (AAN).
The stakes for Africa are high. Of the nine experts whose mandates expire at the end of 2026, two are from the African regional group.
With the Committee currently composed of 10 women and eight men, Madam Mawunyo’s candidacy also helps maintain the gender parity that the UN strongly encourages.
The Government of Ghana has expressed total confidence in her competence, citing her recent recognition with the Grand Medal at the 2024 Ghana National Honours Awards as proof of her national significance.
Ghana is now calling on the international community to support a leader who has “lived disability, shaped policy, and delivered systems change” to serve the world’s one billion persons with disabilities.
SOURCE: DisabilityNewsGH.com
