NEW YORK: Rehab Boresly, the candidate of Kuwait, was elected as member of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The ballot, held on Tuesday as part of the 15th Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (COSP-15) at the UN Headquarters in New York, resulted in Boresly winning 150 votes, or 82.4 percent of the total 182 votes. Coming second to the frontrunner candidate of Mexico who got 151 votes, she will serve a four-year term in the CRPD (2022-2026). Speaking to the press after the polls, Boresly expressed joy for the outcome of the vote, which "materializes the eminent status and leading role of the State of Kuwait on the global scale."

"Kuwait has a trailblazing experience in the humanitarian action, notably the care for persons with disability," she pointed out. Boresly dedicated "today's important achievement" to His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah as well as the government and people of Kuwait. She also thanked the Kuwaiti government and non-government bodies, which contributed to the bright and noble picture of Kuwait at the current UN forum, including the Kuwaiti Society for Guardians of the Disabled, Al-Tamooh sport club of persons with intellectual disabilities, the Public Authority for Sport, and the Public Authority for Disability Affairs.

Boresly vowed to exert relentless effort during her tenure in the CRPD to enhance care for persons with disability and reflect the ambitious vision of Kuwait set forth in Act No. 8 (2010) and the candidacy file presented to the Committee. She appreciated the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the successful lobbying effort by the Permanent Mission of the State of Kuwait to the United Nations led by Permanent Representative Mansour Ayyad Al-Otaibi.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Otaibi congratulated Boresly on her election to the Committee, expressing gratitude for the States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. "Congratulations to #Kuwait's candidate Mrs. Rehab Boresli on her election to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) for the term 2023-2026! Thank you to Member States for their support," he wrote on the Permanent Mission's Twitter account. Boresly, who holds a bachelor's degree in politics and a master degree in information systems, serves as chairperson of the boards of Al-Tamooh sport club of persons with intellectual disabilities and Kuwaiti Society for Guardians of the Disabled. - KUNA