Parkhat Yussupjanov

Parkhat is an international public policy expert focused on development policy, committed to increasing support for people with disabilities (specifically those with visual impairment). He is currently the President of Zhiger, a youth organization for people with disabilities in his native Kazakhstan. Under Parkhat’s leadership, Zhiger has opened the first disability support centers in the country, as well as developed and implemented policy changes at the national level to ensure educational environments comply with the UN Convention on the rights of people with disabilities. He has a Bachelors and Masters degree in Simultaneous Interpretation from Kazakh University of International Rights and World Languages, a Masters in Public Affairs from Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs, and an Executive Masters in Development Policies and Practices from the Graduate Institute of International and Developmental Studies in Geneva, Switzerland.