Pauline Castres

ID: a square graphic on a blue gradient background with the header: “The D-30 Impact List, 2021 Honoree, Pauline Castres, she/him/hers, United Kingdom.” Pauline’s headshot on the right. Pauline is a woman with brown hair and is wearing a tan sun hat and red blouse. At the bottom, “Diversability, #D30DisList.”

---

Pauline Castres (she/her/hers)

Policy Manager

United Kingdom

The fact that Pauline has been an advocate for disability, health, and consumer rights for over 10 years inspires our community. She works at a global pan-disability charity, focusing on implementing the UN Convention on Disability Rights in developing countries. Before, she worked on health & climate change for medical journals; on vaccine equity & universal health coverage at a big UN agency; EU consumer rights, and air pollution in the UK. Her determination to make a difference is incredible to watch.

Pauline spoke up for disabled people—especially in low-income countries—about the impact Covid-19 was having on them. She published a report on the issue, submitted inquiries to the House of Commons & organized a webinar with UNGEI on the education of disabled children in Kenya. She also led her team to organize a global symposium on inclusive education with UNESCO & Portugal. In 2021, her policy & campaigns work was key in getting disability mentioned in the Girls’ Education Declaration at the G7.

We asked Pauline if she would like to add anything else to her accomplishments, and she stated: “At Leonard Cheshire, I led a policy project with UNGEI, bringing together girls and women with disabilities across the world to call on G7 leaders to make commitments on education at the intersection of gender and disability. Here is a link to the video: https://www.ungei.org/media/girls-disabilities-have-equal-right-education”