Annex I
Biographical data form of candidates to human rights treaty bodies
(Please respect the specified amount of lines when completing this form)
Name and first name: Cisternas Reyes, María Soledad
Date and place of birth: Santiago, Chile.
Working languages: Spanish and English
Current position/function: (5 lines maximum): Vice- president of the Committee on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities, United Nations – Committee / CRPD. Rapporteur for news
Communication of the Optional Protocol to the CRPD. Professor of Law and researcher. Director
of different juridical and interdisciplinary projects. Author of different publications and conferences
at the national level and internationally. Currently, participating in the creation of the Foundation
"Dignitem" on the rights of persons with disabilities.
Main professional activities:
(10 lines maximum)
- Leader of legal and interdisciplinary research teams, for to influence legislation and public policy,
including opinions specialized to the Parliament.
- Planner and organizer of academic extension activities for rights promotion, with active
participation of civil society (Seminars, Expert round-table, workshops, etc.).
- Teaching for courses designed by her: “Vulnerable groups: an emerging human rights issue” and
“Bio Law and human rights”. She teaches about, the CRPD, Education Inclusive, system
international for promoting and protection of human rights, among others (Faculties: Law,
Psychology, Education, Schools of special education, and public administration). Undergraduate and
Postgraduate level in Chilean universities and also in Training Centres abroad.
- Management of audiovisual projects, in its substantive aspects, for the translation of Rights in
accessible formats.
Educational background:
(5 lines maximum)
- Law degree (graduated with highest honours) from the Catholic University of Chile . Thesis:
Multinational enterprises: international treatment and regulation. Awarded the title of Supreme
Court attorney.
- Master in political science, Catholic University of Chile. Specialized field: Political institutions and
processes. Thesis: Democracy and persons with disabilities. She graduated with distinctions
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned:
(10 lines maximum)
* Responsibilities and tasks as member of the CRPD Committee (period 2009 - 2012).
- Currently, Vice - President of the CRPD Committee and Rapporteur for the Optional Protocol.
- Coordinator of the Working Group that developed the Committee’s “working methods”. Also,
coordinated the Working Group on "Natural disasters and emergency situations" (CRPD, Article 11
- which functioned in the year 2010).
- Member of the Working Group on Legal Capacity of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD Article 12);
- Also, has contributed to the production of various documents of the Committee: Reporting
Guidelines, Rules of procedure, First Declaration of the Committee and others on natural disasters
and persons with disabilities, Information Note on the Optional Protocol.
- She attended the Conferences of States Parties to the CRPD, UN, NY, presenting the following
issues: “Access to Justice and Legal Capacity of Persons with Disabilities” (2009) and "Right to
Inclusive Education in the CRPD" (2010).
- Has represented the CRPD Committee, in the Inter-Committee Meeting of the human rights
(July 2009, January and October 2011), UN, Geneva.
- Participation in the Human Rights Treaty Division Consultation, about the strengthening of these
bodies, OHCHR, UN, April 2011, Bossey
* Other activities related:
Was a member of the Delegation of Chile, as independent expert, being its spokesperson in the
work of the Ad-hoc Committee UN, which prepared the draft of the CDP
Has provided training to judges, police, Prison Staff, Notaries, Diplomatic in Training, public
officials and civil society on the different aspects of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, in light
of the CRPD.
Organized the so called "Movement D" (Observatory), with the participation of civil society
organizations of persons with disabilities, of national rank, having as axis the CRPD. In this
framework coordinated the work of civil society to push for ratification of the Convention and its
Optional Protocol. Currently the Movement D, collaborates with the implementation aspects of the
Convention in accordance to each type of disability.
Developed the work of co-writer and co-producer of the film trailer project - documentary "Six
Women in America" that records the process of implementation of the CRPD, from the perspective
of women and girls with disabilities.
- Incorporation of the CRPD in the argumentation of cases before the Courts of Justice.
- She coordinated the Human Rights Secretariat of ULAC. Has also collaborated in activities of
RIADIS.
List of most recent publications in the field:
(5 lines)
- “Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities/CRPD: Labor Approach”, Science and
Technology Foundation FUCYT
- “Contribution of the academic world to the implementation of the CRPD: statistics, data
collection, strategies and key actors”, book on Disability and Human Rights published by the
Universidad de los Andes, Colombia
- “International legal obligations provided for in Article 12 of the CRPD to the States parties and
their impact on domestic law”, National University of Mar del Plata, Argentina.
- "CRPD / CEDAW and the gender perspective", paper presented at MINREL, Chile.
- “Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: its impact on human rights”, Aequitas
Foundation, Spanish Notaries, Spain
- “International developments and paradigm shift about persons with disabilities: Challenges in the
human rights approach for the XXI century”, Center for International Studies, Catholic University,
Chile..
- “The Right to Education: Legal Framework and Justiciability, contributions of the CRPD”, Latin
American Journal of Inclusive Education. Iberoamerican Network of Research on Change and
Effective School, Coordination Central University, Chile.
- “Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities UN and its reach into the CEDDIS / OAS”.
University of Buenos Aires, Argentina
- “Political and public participation / CRPD”, under publication, in a specialist magazine
Currently, she is preparing material for a book on "Persons with Disabilities and Polyarchy
(contemporary democracy)".