Disability Rights Pioneers Selects Hon. Maigua, Former Kenyan Senator/MP and UN CRPD Youth Leader, to Nominate Global PWD Leaders for Nobel Peace Prize in Honour of CRPD’s 20th Anniversary by December 13, 2026
As the world prepares to mark the 20th Anniversary of the Adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on December 13, 2026, disability rights pioneers and advocates globally are calling for extraordinary recognition of those who laid the foundation for this landmark human rights achievement.
We respectfully call upon the International Disability Alliance (IDA), UN DESA, and the CRPD Secretariat to take urgent steps to honour the legacy and contributions of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) World Leaders—both living and deceased—who served as pioneer members of the UN Ad Hoc Committee that led to the adoption of the CRPD under [A/RES/60/232], representing the voices and hopes of over 1.3 billion PWDs globally.
It is on record that Chief Eric Ndubueze Ufom, President of Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities International, Inc. (ERPWDI), also known as the Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities Initiative, and Lady Dorothy (Doi) Mbanefo, the organization’s Public Relations Officer, were the only two Nigerians with disabilities who served as pioneer members of the United Nations Ad Hoc Committee that led to the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) under UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/60/232.
Following Nobel Peace Prize nomination rules, <https://www.nobelpeaceprize.org/nobel-peace-prize/nomination/> which require submissions by a parliamentarian or university professor, the Pioneers of Nigeria’s National and International Disability Civil Rights Movement and Policy Change Advocates hereby respectfully call on Hon. Mwaura Isaac Maigua—former Kenyan Parliamentarian and Youth Leader during the 8th Sessions of the CRPD Ad Hoc Committee—to use his office to formally on or before January 31, 2026, nominate the original PWDs World Leaders for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, which we pray it be announced by October 2026.
These pioneers—visionary civil society leaders, legal experts, government representatives, and persons with disabilities—demonstrated exceptional courage and leadership in shaping the first legally binding international human rights treaty of the 21st century focused exclusively on dignity, equality, and inclusion for persons with disabilities. Their work led to the adoption of the CRPD by the United Nations General Assembly in 2006, and it has since been ratified by over 180 countries, influencing constitutions, laws, and policies across the globe.
“The CRPD has become a global instrument of peace, inclusion, and justice,” said one of the Nigerian movement pioneers. “It has advanced democratic governance, participatory development, and the rule of law—changing millions of lives across continents.”
Awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to these trailblazing leaders would not only honour their monumental contribution to international peace and human rights, but it would also:
- ✅ Preserve and highlight the legacy of iconic disability rights champions.
- ✅ Inspire a new generation of disability civil rights advocates, educators, and policymakers.
- ✅ Serve as a global recognition that disability rights are human rights, and that peace is incomplete without justice and inclusion for all.
- ✅ Serve as a commitment and also speed up the implementation of the CRPD.
Let the 20th Anniversary of the CRPD be more than a commemoration. Let it be a moment of reflection, recognition, and renewal—a time to uplift those who laid the foundation for a more inclusive and just world.
Media Contact:
Job Napoleon Agbor
Disability Civil Rights Movement & Policy Changer Advocate
📞 +234 706 847 3214
📧vov4pwd@gmail.com
🌍 https://voiceofthevoicelesspwd.org.ng