Venus Ilagan, originally from the Philippines, is the immediate past Secretary General of Rehabilitation International (RI) from October 2008 to May 2019, and the first person with a disability from a developing country to serve in that capacity in the organization’s 97-year history. She was the first woman World Chairperson of Disabled People’s International. Prior to joining RI, Venus was the project manager of a national rehabilitation program which provided services to over 14,000 children with disabilities in the Philippines. She had the distinction of being a member of the Editorial Committee for the first-ever World Report on Disability, a joint initiative of the World Health Organization and the World Bank. It established that there were one billion persons with disabilities in the world in 2011 when the report was launched, which was instrumental in having over one hundred countries sign and ratify the disability convention within a very short period of time. Venus participated actively in the elaboration of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, now ratified by 177 countries. Venus is a passionate global advocate for gender equality specifically in the context of Women with Disabilities

Light refreshments served.

Event details on HPOD website: https://hpod.law.harvard.edu/events/event/women-with-disabilities-in-asia-and-the-pacific

Sponsored by the Harvard Law School Project on Disability. Co-sponsored by East Asian Legal Studies, Disability Law Students Association, Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, and Harvard Women’s Law Association.