Take Five with Lyazzat Kaltayeva: “Inclusion is not about visibility; it is about equal opportunities and equal participation”

For decades, Lyazzat Kaltayeva has been one of Kazakhstan's leading voices for the rights of people with disabilities. In June 2026, she was elected to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD Committee) with the support of 157 States Parties. Her term will begin on 1 January 2027 and run until the end of 2030. The Committee monitors the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and promotes the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities worldwide.

A long-time disability rights advocate, civil society leader, and former parliamentarian, Kaltayeva has dedicated her career to advancing the rights of people with disabilities, with a particular focus on women and girls. For many years, UN Women has partnered with her and with organizations of women with disabilities in Kazakhstan to strengthen women's leadership, promote gender-responsive disability inclusion, and support the implementation of Article 6 of the Convention, which recognizes the multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination faced by women and girls with disabilities.

In this interview, Lyazzat Kaltayeva reflects on the progress made towards disability inclusion, the barriers that persist and why the meaningful participation of women and girls with disabilities is essential to achieving equality.

What does your election to the Committee mean to you personally?

We are living in an increasingly unpredictable and rapidly changing world, where human rights, including the rights of women and people with disabilities, can easily be undermined, and hard-won progress can quickly be reversed.

My election is both an honour and a responsibility. It strengthens my commitment to ensure that the rights of people with disabilities, especially women and girls, remain visible across all agendas, that their voices are heard in every forum, and that equal opportunities for meaningful participation become a reality.

Looking back, what has changed the most in the understanding of disability inclusion?

When I began my work, people with disabilities were largely viewed as recipients of social assistance or as patients who belonged in institutions.

Today, we increasingly see people with disabilities, including women and girls, studying, working, participating in public life, appearing in the media, serving as politicians, athletes and artists, and raising families. Their presence in every aspect of society is becoming more visible, and that is an encouraging sign that inclusion is slowly taking root.

But this is only the beginning. Inclusion is not about visibility. It is about equal rights, equal opportunities and equal participation.

Where do you still see the greatest gap between rights on paper and reality?

The greatest barrier is still how disability is understood.

Too often, disability is seen as something that needs to be “fixed” in the individual. Yet the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities makes it clear that disability results from the interaction between people with impairments and the attitudinal and environmental barriers they face.

We continue to invest enormous effort in trying to change individuals, when in fact it is society that must change. Until physical, institutional and attitudinal barriers are removed, rights will remain difficult to realize in practice.

Throughout your career, you have championed women's leadership. What does meaningful participation look like when governments develop policies affecting women with disabilities?

Consultation alone is not enough.

Women with disabilities must participate directly in shaping legislation, public policy and decision-making. My experience in local government and later in the Senate of Kazakhstan showed that representation becomes meaningful only when women with disabilities are not simply invited to discussions but are part of the decision-making process itself.

At the same time, representation must be accompanied by investment in leadership and expertise. Even with an elected mandate, challenging established systems requires courage, persistence, knowledge and professional competence.

What would success look like at the end of your mandate on the Committee?

Success would mean that women and girls with disabilities know their rights, trust their own choices and are able to make decisions about every aspect of their lives, from education and employment to family life and political participation.

It would also mean that equal opportunities exist not only in legislation but in everyday life, including equal access to justice whenever their rights are. Advancing those rights will remain at the heart of my work.

Most of all, I hope that more girls and young women with disabilities believe in their own potential. One of the words repeated most often throughout the Convention is "dignity.” I always tell them: do not wait for someone else to define your future. Take the first step with confidence, because every woman has the right to shape her own life with dignity.