Ms. Catalina Devandas Aguilar of Costa Rica is a lawyer by training and a human rights advocate. She took office as the first Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on 1 December 2014. She has worked extensively on disability rights and inclusive development for the past 20 years, including with the World Bank, the United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs, and international donor organizations. Ms. Devandas Aguilar was previously part of the disability rights movement at national, regional and international level.