Alistair de Gaetano

Alistair de Gaetano is the Chairperson of the Autism Advisory Council for the Government of Malta, a position he has held since April 2018.2 He is also the Administrator of the Maltese Government's Directorate for Disability Issues (DDI).13

De Gaetano played a key role in establishing both the Directorate and the Council, and has been instrumental in developing legislation, strategies, policies, and actions to reform and strengthen Malta's disability sector.1 He was involved in drafting Malta's National Autism Strategy.25

As an expert in disability rights, de Gaetano has represented Malta at high-level meetings and served as Vice-Chair of the Social Questions Working Party on the European Accessibility Act during Malta's 2017 EU Presidency.1 He is a warranted lawyer with a PhD from Trinity College Dublin, focusing on the denial of rights to autistic persons.1

De Gaetano has a history of disability-related activism, including co-founding EUCAP (European Council of Autistic People) and co-chairing a working group with the International Disability Alliance that delivered the first written submissions on behalf of disabled people to the UN's High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.1

In addition to his work in autism and disability rights, de Gaetano has served as the Secretary to the Malta Space Taskforce, demonstrating his involvement in various government initiatives.4