Natalia Guala Beathyate

Natalia Guala Beathyate is Independent Expert of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD Committee) for the 2025-2028 term.

From her position in the ONCE Social Group as Deputy Director of International Affairs, she coordinates the strategy of international partnerships, institutional relations with diplomatic representations, as well as the promotion of the visibility of disability in international forums. She is also in charge of the design and implementation of regional and international initiatives to improve the quality of regulations and the transformation of public policies in the field of disability.

From its role in ONCE Social Group, and by unanimous decision of the member countries, it is the Technical Secretary of the Ibero-American Disability Programme. This is the first intergovernmental experience of South-South and triangular cooperation aimed at mainstreaming the disability perspective in public policies for an effective implementation of the CRPD and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

She also has coordinated, within the framework of the European Union's EUROsociAL+ Programme, the provision of technical assistance in disability policies, particularly in the areas of education and employment.

As Deputy Director of International Affairs of ONCE Social Group, Natalia also collaborates with international organisations for the incorporation of the disability perspective and the implementation of specific projects.

Natalia Guala Beathyate has an International Relations degree, a Communication Sciences degree and a Marketing postgraduate degree from the University of the Republic (Uruguay). She also has a Social Management and Disability Policies Specialization Diploma from FLACSO (Chile) and an International Cooperation for Development Specialization Diploma from AECID (Spain).

Previously, she was Executive Director of the Latin American Union of the Blind, a regional organization representing persons with visual disabilities in 19 countries. In her career she has also worked in different professional areas: Human Rights Consultant for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); Adviser to the Directorate of Intelligence, Trade Promotion and Investment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uruguay and for its diplomatic academy. She has also been Coordinator of educational and information access projects linked to the World Bank, UNESCO and the Finnish cooperation.