William Pons is an expert in the field of disability inclusion focusing primarily on armed conflict, humanitarian emergencies, and peacebuilding. Presently he serves as senior legal advisor to the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, where he advises on the intersection between disability rights and armed conflict, humanitarian action, international criminal law, peacebuilding, and disaster risk reduction. He also currently holds a research appointment with the Harvard Law School Project on Disability researching and writing on innovative legal approaches to ensure protection of persons with disabilities prior to, during, and after armed conflict and humanitarian crises, as well as on accountability for disability-based crimes. He has extensive experience in the development of disability-inclusive protections for persons with disabilities during armed conflict and humanitarian crises having consulted for the UN Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights, the World Bank, the US Agency for International Development, the Organization for the Security and Co-operation in Europe, the US Institute for Peace and the Geneva Academy. He has consulted as an expert on disability and humanitarian emergencies for a number of State agencies, and guest lectured on armed conflict, disability, and international criminal law at the University of Maryland School of Law, George Washington University Elliott School, and American University Washington College of Law. Notably, he has published a number of articles on armed conflict and disability, including a seminal work on the prosecution of crimes against persons with disabilities as crimes against humanity, and previously served as a legal advisor to the International Committee of the Red Cross, Washington delegation.
