Ms Akiko is Chief of the Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and UN/Focal Point on Disability. She is also a Departmental Focal Point for Women of Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations. Ms Ito has extensively lectured and published on issues concerning disability and human rights at the United Nations. Previous to her current post, she worked in Legal Affairs Section of the United Nations Drug Control Programme in Vienna, Austria. Her academic background is international law and the area of interest is domestic application of international law, with a focus on the rights of minorities and other disadvantaged groups.