Samoa has nominated disability rights advocate Mataafa Faatino Utumapu for election to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities for the 2027–2030 term.

The Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development of Samoa announced.

The election will take place during the nineteenth session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 9–11 June 2026. The body oversees the implementation of the treaty under the United Nations framework, specifically the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Mataafa recently participated in CSW70, where she served as a panellist at Samoa’s first side event titled Women, Justice and Leadership. The event also marked the global launch of Women's Quest. 

She is widely recognised as a Pacific leader in disability rights and inclusive governance. Over the past decade, she has worked on disability policy, system strengthening, and service delivery for persons with disabilities.

Her areas of expertise include implementation and reporting under the Convention, disability-inclusive policy and legal reform, and integrating Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion across national systems.

She has also led Samoa’s National Disability Policy and Action Plan, supported the country’s first CRPD state reporting process, and helped embed disability inclusion across government and development systems.

Mataafa serves as General Manager of Nuanua o le Alofa, Samoa’s national organisation of persons with disabilities, and is Co-Chair of the Pacific Disability Forum.

Government officials say her nomination reflects Samoa’s commitment to strengthening disability inclusion and advancing representation at the global level.

Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development, Loau Donina Vaa, said:

“Mataafa brings both technical expertise and lived experience, grounded in delivery and focused on results. Her leadership reflects Samoa’s commitment to ensuring that inclusion is not only upheld in principle, but realised in practice. Her presence at CSW70 further demonstrated the strength of Pacific leadership on the global stage.”

The Government says it looks forward to engaging with member states and seeking support for her candidacy